tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34739715645242496822024-03-12T23:19:51.387-04:00The Doorway To Professional Learning CommunitiesTo be an effective instructional designer, those entering into the field of instructional design and technology should have a good understanding and comfort level with the various learning and instructional technology tools and resources available today.
This social networking platform is created as a primary means for instructional design professionals to share resources and discuss any number of instructional design–related issues with other professionals and experts from around the globe.Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-67982599289105746112011-04-08T23:49:00.002-04:002011-04-08T23:59:05.900-04:00Analyzing Scope Creep<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">A major source of trouble with changes is typically that the project manager, in attempts to avoid bureaucracy, adopts an informal process of handling requests for change. Such leads to misunderstanding on the part of the party requesting the change, and before the project manager can undo the damage; the organization is committee to extending the scope of the project but without the additional resources and time to do it (Portny et al., 2008). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I recall a project where my organization set out to create electronic documents to help minimize the use of paper and to streamline some of our internal processes. Doing so would eliminate the time it took for documents to be completed by eliminating the use of mail and having a central repository for all completed documents so that items wouldn’t be lost. This was the original scope of the project. This began as an initiative just for one department. As the project went on and more departments heard about it, the list of forms to be created electronically grew exponentially. In addition to that, people started requesting that documents be created to use for external customers. This expanded scope created a number of issues. There was no change control process created so anyone on the project team was just creating documents with no guidelines. The documents were being generated for use outside the company without being reviewed and cleared by our legal group to ensure no unnecessary liabilities were being created. Lastly, there weren’t enough people resources on the team to keep up with the demand of requested forms that needed to be created.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I recommended that we scale back the scope and focus on one pilot department and a small list of forms. This would allow the group to handle the load and work out any identified issues prior to getting any other departments involved. The rest of the stakeholders weighed the benefits of this versus the disadvantages and decided that was the best course of action to take. Looking back on the situation, if I had been the project manager, I would have clearly defined the scope and all of the initial components of the project. This way all of the stakeholders would have clear and realistic expectations of what was to come and could anticipate some of the next steps. In this pilot it would have been best to outline a plan based on the results to implement the electronic form process in the other departments and allow for a more efficient transition that most, if not all, stakeholders could be satisfied with to meet their goals. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Sometimes projects can get off track very quickly because of poor communications between all of the parties involved, lack of proper identification of what is needed to achieve the groups objectives or even poor project management overall. This can lead to increased costs and failure of the project. However, if other aspects are considered as the scope of the project changes such as budget, other resources and the timeline or schedule of the project, scope creep should not occur.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Avoiding scope creep in not possible; however, monitoring it, controlling it, and thereby reducing some of the pain is possible-if the project manager follows a few guidelines... (Portny et al., 2008)<br /> <br /> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Reference</span></p> <div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.</span></p> </div>Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-63245324162644078332011-03-31T23:12:00.002-04:002011-04-01T01:18:53.434-04:00Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources: Budgets and Resource Allocation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">What do you find the most challenging about estimating activity durations and resource costs?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Creating a comprehensive schedule is one of the more difficult activities that project managers face. Schedule creation is often considered more art than science, and results often support this. What is often more frustrating is that team members often find themselves on one team with a project manager that creates and manages schedules a particular way and on another team with a project manager with a different approach (Holohan, 2010).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><br />Links -<br />1. <a href="http://www.super-business.net/Project-Management/Activity-Duration-Estimating.html">http://www.super-business.net/Project-Management/Activity-Duration-Estimating.html</a> -<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> 2. <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/estimate-activity-duration-HA001139963.aspx">http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/estimate-activity-duration-HA001139963.aspx</a> - </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><br />Reference</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:1"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif"">Holohan, R. (2010).</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">6 Steps to Successful Schedules</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">. Retrieved March 31, 2011 from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/6-steps-to-successful-schedules.html</span></p> <br /><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><br /><br /></span>Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-48443360872336917142011-03-31T21:03:00.000-04:002011-03-31T21:03:07.822-04:00All about Dynamic Views for Readers<a href="http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1229061&ctx=share">All about Dynamic Views for Readers</a>Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-36591879415881128482011-03-18T03:32:00.000-04:002011-03-18T03:33:27.561-04:00Communicating Effectively<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">What factors influenced how you perceived the message?</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">Communication can occur by various means, each with varying degrees of richness (Daft & Lengel, 1984). At present, there are four basic communication modes utilized in the workplace: face-to-face meetings, audio or telephone exchanges, video-mediated conferences, and computer-mediated text transfers. Using media richness theory, McGrath and Hollingshead (1993) developed a grid of task and media fit to explain the moderating effect of task type on media richness and performance. Briefly, their model suggests that there is an optimal fit for the information richness required of a task and the media chosen to mediate that task. For example, text based computer messaging is a "good fit" for generating ideas, but not for negotiating conflicts; likewise, video systems offer the optimal level of richness for judgment tasks but are insufficient for negotiating tasks and too rich for generating ideas.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">After reading the email, listening to the voice message and face-to-face interaction; although, each message had the same meaning, the delivery of the message will determine how the message is received, and there were no factors that affected my decision or reaction to the message. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">I would rate face-to-face communication as more of a preferred choice of communication and not necessarily the better choice. Again, all three forms of communication have the same message but the delivery and interpretation may be different. <span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Gill Sans MT Condensed","sans-serif";">After reading and experiencing the communicative correspondences, my perception in regards to how messages are delivered, I don’t think that there is a better way, but depending on the circumstances of the situation, one of these forms of communication can be a by-product of the sender, but the interpretation is left up to the receiver. </span></p>Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-91873907738891423352011-03-06T21:38:00.001-05:002011-03-06T21:39:51.648-05:00The "Instructional Designer" role... EDUC-6145-1 Project Management in Education and TrainingWith consideration of the project management process and the tasks associated with the instructional design process: according to Dr. Harold Stolovitch, one critical difference between the instructional designer and the instructional design project manager is that, as an instructional designer you have to have good analytic skills and you have to be able to analyze the context, analyze your learners, analyze the tasks that need to be done, you got to be able to design and develop excellent instruction, verify that learning occurs, then the evaluation portion.<br /><br />As a project manager all of those skills come into play as well but in a very different way, because the main thing here is managing resources, managing people, managing money and managing time and being an excellent communicator, verifying understanding so that everyone are singing on the same key. Those are the key differences, you focused allot on an orchestral leader role rather than an individual musician role (Project Management and Instructional Design).<br /><br />In contrast, the comparison of the phases in project management and instructional design activities yields many similarities and a few differences: the comparison of project management and instructional design phases indicates the both adopt a systematic approach. Both engage in careful planning and focus on consistency as a means to deliver quality. Both try to establish problem-solving procedures to guide decision makings. Both decisions are made on the basis of a systematic and analytic framework. Arguably, instructional design must be expanded to include the value of project management as a tool (Lin, 2006).<br /><br />In regards to, who should define the priorities of the project: both the people who requested the project and the project team, through the process of negotiation and discussion, should agree to all terms in the SOW before actual project work is started (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer (2008).<br /><br />The key priorities will have to be in place before the initial project begins, of course there must be room for uncertainty, regardless of the scope and or goal of the project. My role as an instructional designer influences my thinking and priorities, at the beginning of an ID project by ensuring that the project falls within the timeline of completion and identifying the specific goals while addressing problems of the project during its design and development. I believe that my role falls under the functional employee or project team members’ category, because I would be the person responsible for successfully performing individual project activities (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer (2008).<br /><br /><br />References<br />Lin, H. (2006). Instructional project management: An emerging professional practice for design and training programs. Workforce Education Forum, 33(2). Reprinted by permission of the author.<br /><br />Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br /><br />“Project Management and Instructional Design”<br />In this program, Dr. Harold Stolovitch discusses what project management is, why instructional designers must learn it, the difference between the roles, and how project managers can effectively manage their workload.Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-32295148714973548862011-02-21T13:24:00.002-05:002011-02-21T13:40:51.644-05:00Tips for Converting “Face-to-Face” instruction into a “Blended/Hybrid” format<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Consider the following scenario: A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">With this scenario in mind, and taking into consideration your Learning Resources, reflect on the following:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Before the start of new implementation phase, the trainer should examine what is/isn’t currently working and or identifying the tasks that the learners could complete on their own. During this process the trainer could utilize the expertise of an SME or ID consultant. The learner should be the primary focus of the course development phase and too much emphasis on technology should not take place, because the goal is to make the learning process efficient and effect.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One can conclude, after examining the various tools and approaches for distance learning, that there is one primary purpose: to provide a valuable learning experience to students who might not otherwise have access to learning (Simonson, Smaldino, Alright, & Zvacek, 2009).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A blended learning approach combines face to face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities to form an integrated instructional approach. In the past, digital materials have served in a supplementary role, helping to support face to face instruction. In further consideration, creating high-quality blended instruction can present considerable challenges. Foremost is the need for resources to create the online materials to be used in the courses. Materials development is a time and labor intensive process, just as it is in any instructional medium. In addition, blended instruction is likely to be a new concept to many students and faculty (WIBL, 2009).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Furthermore, when designing or implementing a potential change process, the trainer and or person responsible for the change should consider various instructional models, as a follow-guide towards completion. For example, the Program in Course Redesign, funded by the Pew Foundation, has provided 30 institutions of higher education with funding to explore the potential benefits of blended learning in large-enrollment undergraduate courses. As part of the project, the PEW researchers created three models of blended instruction (WIBL, 2009); see the chart below:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• Supplemental Model</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> The supplemental model retains the basic structure of the traditional course and uses technology resources to supplement traditional lectures and textbooks. The supplemental model for blended learning incorporates technology into the instructional approach of the course, but does not alter its basic structure. Students may be required to complete online readings or activities, or participate in lab sessions. However, there is no reduction in course meeting time under the supplemental model; a three-hour course would still meet in-class for three hours per week.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• Replacement Model</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> The replacement model reduces the number of in-class meetings, or classroom "seat-time," and:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• replaces some in-class time with out-of-class, online, interactive learning activities</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• makes significant changes in remaining in-class meetings.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Under a replacement model, there are fundamental changes to the course. Unlike the supplemental model, the online resources in a replacement model are fully integrated into the overall instructional effort. The online content acts as a replacement for time that would have been spent in a lecture hall. Consequently, the nature of the in-class activities is changed as well. Instead of traditional lectures, in-class time is freed for more interactive, collaborative learning experiences.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">• Emporium Model</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> The emporium model eliminates all class meetings and replaces them with a learning resource center. This resource center, typically a large computer lab, offers access to course online materials in addition to live assistance and guidance. The emporium model is a radical re-conceptualization of the traditional course. Though attendance at the learning center can be required, there are no longer lectures in a traditional sense. Course content is delivered via online materials, and in-person help is provided in the learning resource center.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As a result of the desired change, the trainer will now be responsible for two roles, the face-to face- trainer and online instructor: please preview the video (FTF vs. OT) - </span><iframe style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uiYTIXMlKNs" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dr. Piskurich (Facilitating Online Learning) describes ten traits of both the role of the facilitator in an online classroom and some effective ways that online education can be effective before its implementation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Train the facilitator on the software that they and their students will be using: the technology should be transparent.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Review the lesson plan with the facilitator thoroughly, becoming familiar with e lesson plan and not be surprised. The instructor should present a consistent flow of delivery during a lesson presentation.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Recognize that student learn differently for different reasons: facilitators must keep in constant contact with students in the online environments; avoid disassociation and communicate with the learners.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. PowerPoint should be used sparingly because it’s an un-engaging way to deliver content.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. Activities and application are the heart of an online course.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. The emphasis in the distance learning environments should be on activities opposed to the content itself; however, content is critical in order for the learner to meet the course objectives connected to the activities.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7. Instructional designers should develop good lesson plans; build time into the facilitation phase to thoroughly review the lesson plan/facilitation guide with the instructors.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8. When possible, involve facilitators in the course development process: don’t wait until the lesson plan is completed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">9. Provided a group training session for all facilitators who will teach the course.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">10. A good instructional designer always plans to train the trainer, to ensure that the trainers can accomplish the goals and design of the implementation phase.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">References:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Dr. George Piskurich shares tips and tricks with instructional technologist Jacqueline Chauser for facilitating online courses to help learners get the most from the experience.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Face-to-face vs. online training. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiYTIXMlKNs on 02/21/2011</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Picciano and Dzuiban, (2007). Discovering and Designing Hybrid Courses" in Blended Learning Research Perspectives ed. Retrieved from http://www.uis.edu/colrs/learning/pedagogy/blendeddesign.html on 02/21/2011.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. The Pennsylvania State University (2009). What is Blended Learning? Retrieved from http://weblearning.psu.edu/blended-learning-initiative/what_is_blended_learning on February 21, 2011.</span>Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-9814360989133964902011-02-07T23:03:00.001-05:002011-02-07T23:06:59.763-05:00Blog—The Impact of Open SourceMusic - http://oyc.yale.edu/music/listening-to-music<br />MUSI 112 - Listening to Music, Fall 2008 - Professor Craig Wright<br /><br />About the Course<br />This course fosters the development of aural skills that lead to an understanding of Western music. The musical novice is introduced to the ways in which music is put together and is taught how to listen to a wide variety of musical styles, from Bach and Mozart, to Gregorian chant, to the blues.<br /><br />1. Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How so?<br />Answer: Yes. The course is dived into 23 sessions, from the introduction to the review of musical style. The components used in the course are; the syllabus, course calendar announcements, assignment instructions, learning objectives, student roster, etc. The content presentation ranges from media to pdf files for download. Another essential layout of the course is the student assessments (course evaluation tools). The online courses are designed for a wide range of people around the world, among them self-directed and life-long learners, educators, and high school and college students. The integrated, highly flexible web interface allows users, in effect, to audit Yale undergraduate courses if they wish to. It also gives the user a wide variety of other options for structuring the learning process, for example downloading, redistributing, and remixing course materials.<br /><br />2. Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook? <br />Answer: No. The course is not a course earned towards a degree; therefore, the course presents an opportunity for other learners to have an idea of the layout of an online classroom may function. In fact, Open Yale Courses provides lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses to the public free of charge via the internet. The courses span the full range of liberal arts disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, and physical and biological sciences.<br /><br />3. Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?<br />Answer: Twenty three sessions are included, within each session includes a class lecture (Transcripts, Audio and Video). Each session has a description of the course’s overview, informing each student of the purpose for scheduling the courses. Each course includes a full set of class lectures produced in high-quality video accompanied by such other course materials as syllabi, suggested readings, and problem sets. The lectures are available as download-able videos, and an audio-only version is also offered. In addition, search-able transcripts of each lecture are provided.<br /><br />This page lists frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the goals, scope, and production of Open Yale Courses.<br /><br />Reference: <br />1. Yale University 2010. http://oyc.yale.edu/about#q1Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-73279982506487785392011-01-24T02:12:00.007-05:002011-01-24T04:38:53.371-05:00The art of planning real instruction - "A Virtual Tour"Example 2: Interactive Tours<br />A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?<br /><br />According to Keegan, 1986 (as cited in, Beldarrain, Y., 2006), Distance education emerged in response to the need of providing access to those who would otherwise not be able to participate in face-to-face courses. It encompasses those programs that allow the learner and instructor to be physically apart during the learning process and maintain communication in a variety of ways. <br /><br />Instructional designers are sought out to provide better solutions and or options to address the educational needs of desired learning experiences. Of course, there are plenty of factors to consider before taking considering the use of an id professional. For example, before approaching any type of planner, whether it’s a wedding planner an interior designer or a constructional engineer one must consider the budget of planning towards bringing the vision into a reality. <br /><br />In the scenario above, the high school instructor is face with various challenges towards fulfilling the educational needs of the classroom. The challenges above aren’t problematic; however, assuming that there’s not a budget in place, the instructional designer will have to plan/design the best option(s) to fulfilling the needs of the client, in this case the high school history teacher. <br /><br />Situation I: The teacher wants her students to take a "tour," and wants to showcase to her students new exhibits (displayed artwork) being held at two prominent New York City museums. Clearly, traveling across the states would be an expensive and high accountability situation; however, accomplishing the task of visiting a museum in New York, would not present a challenge. So, what could happen in this situation is, the teacher could utilize this website to choose up to five museums which are located in New York and preview the virtual tours that are available. For example, if the teacher could assign a group(s) to view or explore, “Thinking Outside the Box: European Cabinets, Caskets, and Cases from the Permanent Collection (1500–1900),” located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10028). <br /><br />According to Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999), it is the responsibility of the instructor to maximize student interaction. As emerging technologies are implemented to support interaction, the instructor’s role will include not just monitoring and facilitating the interactions, but also actively participating in the exchange of knowledge and reflection <br />(Beldarrain, 2006).<br /><br />ID Solution I: Virtual Tour - http://www.virtualfreesites.com/museums.museums.html - These Sites present over 300 Museums, Exhibits, Points of Special Interest and Real-Time journeys which offer online multimedia guided tours on the Web. Most of the following offer text and pictures, others in addition transmit sound and an occasional movie; the Virtual Tours of Museums and Exhibits never close. <br />Or http://www.youtube.com/ - YouTube is an Internet website that specializes in publishing user-posted video clip. YouTube is built upon standardized, readily-available technologies. Videos can be uploaded in the user's choice of Audio Video Interleave (avi), QuickTime (mov), Moving Picture Experts Group (mpeg), or Windows Media Video (wmv) formats.<br /><br />Video Demonstration I - <iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/onKAwTZU_9A" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br />Clearly, traveling across the states would be an expensive and high accountability situation; however, accomplishing the task of visiting a museum in New York, would not present a challenge. So, what could happen in this situation is, the teacher could utilize this website to choose up to five museums which are located in New York and preview the virtual tours that are available. For example, if the teacher could assign a group(s) to view or explore, “Thinking Outside the Box: European Cabinets, Caskets, and Cases from the Permanent Collection (1500–1900),” located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10028).<br /><br />Situation II: The teacher wants her students to be able to interact with the museum curators…<br /><br />ID Solution II: skype - http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/features/allfeatures/video-call/ - The use of skype or web/videoconferencing eliminates the need for the classroom to travel, although there’s not a replacement for an authentic learning experience; however, due to the fact that traveling across the states to visit New York would be considerably expensive and require much more planning and more the learners are still able to interactive with the curator and fulfill their learning needs. In order to effectively maximize the use of curator and time, the teacher will have to divide the student into groups, perhaps assign each group to different art forms and or time periods within history: after or during the tour exploration the learners will have synthesized questions for the curator(s) to answer. Please view the video demonstrations below.<br /><br />Video Demonstration I - <iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sqd7ds2mEbY" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br />Video Demonstration II - <iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gHwaB21gAL8" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br />Situation III: The teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. Incorporating an LMS presents a perfect opportunity to allow each assembled group to not only post critiques of the artwork, however, the learners could go as far as creating a webpage and embed a video, in an event that a classroom presentation was an option. Utilizing media in this case, provides the learners with opportunities of internet exploration a provision of technological experiences. <br />ID Solution III: EDU 2.0 - http://www.edu20.org/ - <br />Video Demonstration I - <iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rtl3gxElMIw" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br />In conclusion, a virtual presentation cannot replace the feeling and experience of a real life visit to a museum; however, for those who are less fortunate gaining that experience, there are other alternative solutions available for the individual to at least come close to the real thing. The state of technology will continue to advance; however, we must practice the use of those technologies to our advantage in order to fulfill both he educational and experiential needs of the learner. <br /><br />References<br /><br />Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.<br /><br />Retrieved on January 24, 2011 from: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/features/allfeatures/video-call/<br /><br />Retrieved on January 24, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqd7ds2mEbY<br /><br />Retrieved on January 24, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHwaB21gAL8&feature=related<br /><br />Retrieved on January 24, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHwaB21gAL8<br /><br />Retrieved on January 24, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onKAwTZU_9A<br /><br />Retrieved on January 24, 2011 from: http://what-is-what.com/what_is/youtube.htmlNathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-46824823282974555362011-01-10T01:27:00.005-05:002011-01-10T04:09:38.064-05:00Defining Distance Learning – “An evolving change towards better communication”<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QbXcB1r3C4g/TSrMx6C_z1I/AAAAAAAAABE/DusGa39_blI/s1600/Flash.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QbXcB1r3C4g/TSrMx6C_z1I/AAAAAAAAABE/DusGa39_blI/s320/Flash.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560481847709781842" /></a><br />Defining Distance Learning – “An evolving change towards communication”<br /><br />Moore (1994)was concerned that the progress of distance education would be hindered by the lack of attention to what he called the "macro Factors." he indicated that in this area of education there was a need to describe and define the field<br />(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright& Zvacek(2009)... <br /><br />When most people hear about distance education, the first thought and or image that come to mind is online classes. Although distance education have been in existence for quite some time now and perhaps before its time, it appears to be that this new trend and education fad had evolved overnight. I personally don’t believe that the definition of ‘distance education” is changing; however, based on my personal experiences with hearing the word, I only thought of distant education as only one dimensional. For example, prior to hearing the word distant, I automatically thought of people attending online courses at a difference time across the globe. I never envisioned the word distance as being separate in regards to a difference in intellect or knowledge. <br /><br />My personal definition of distance learning is: an interactive process of communication that connects learners from various backgrounds of intellect and knowledge. Prior to starting EDUC-6135-1 Distance Learning distance education was just another word the education has coined as a new trend or catch phrase. I really never thought of distance learning of having any sort of history at all. I’m an academic adviser at a proprietary online school. I’m in contact with student from around the globe that have a desire to complete a degree and as a result of completing the degree a better life. This particular online university does not have a rigorous admission policy. Basically all the applicant has to do is, decide that s/he wants to attend school and then they’re in. The problem that I have with is, I consider our school to be a feeder school, basically those that can’t make it at a ground campus or any other online campus might have a potential shot at graduating from the degree program. Again, the concern that I have is, the university does not properly prepare the aspiring prospect of the possible challenges that s/he may experience thorough the course of enrollment. Worst of all the students are not prepared to handle not only the work load but lack the discipline of self learning to sustain the student until graduation. <br /><br />According to (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, (2008) One challenge to ID is to determine how learners interact with the various e-learning instructional models and the contexts in which they do so (pp – 5). The concept of instructional design may not change but the learners will definitely change and the learning experiences that they bring with them. For example, students that have the tendency to excel and are self learners will not have any challenges in navigating they’re way around the course and most likely, will not experience a lack understanding of content from within the course. In contrast, there will always a learner that has a desire to receive an online degree but may not have the intellect to survive the plight because self discipline and possibly intrinsic factors of self motivation might be lacking.<br /><br />My vision for online learning is to see universities provide more education resources and services for on-line students that are not prepared to participate within an online format. Having these resources available would prepare the online learner to set education goals and self discipline. I believe that these universities should have remedial courses available and effective and efficient online navigation orientation. I’ve witness students fail classes because they did not know how to submit work in the drop box. I would also like to see online instructors take more of an initiative to communicate and engage in effective conversations. <br /> <br />In conclusion, as technology and education continues to evolve, I believe that future instructional designers should practice developing cutting ideas that will forever distinguish the traditional way of teaching and the new age of educational technology. There is a strong need for instructional designers, specifically<br />trained in distance education technologies and design, who are ready to tackle distance education challenges at all levels (Huett,Moller, Foshay,& Coleman(2008). As we continue to take part in effective training, the skills that we develop through the interactive settings, we should be able to apply those same principles towards bridging the gap between those learners who have the intellectual know versus the learners who struggle navigating throughout the course. As instructional designers, if we do not practice becoming a forward thinking group who can embrace the technologies and evolving paradigms of teaching and learning in the 21st century then we're going to become extremely lost. <br /><br /><br />References: <br /><br />Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.<br /><br />Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.<br /><br />Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.<br />Chapter 2, "Definitions, History, and Theories of Distance EducationNathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-77495979384451416162010-02-25T05:49:00.002-05:002010-02-25T05:49:49.656-05:00Reflection- What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered your knowledge about how people learn?<br />As I furthered my knowledge about how people learn I began to discover, people generally first acknowledge what catches their attention first. I would say that this is a fact of life: first impression last impression sort of deal: Attention makes us receptive to information, which we process together with prior knowledge, until we arrive at conclusions and understanding, which we then apply and test for confirmation. People are also motivated for the most part through extrinsic factors; however, intrinsic factors forms or fuels a student’s desire for autonomy. <br />- How has this course deepened your understanding of your personal learning process?<br />What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, education of the learning theories and perspectives that best describes how you I learn: The behaviorist approach emphasizes that every leaner must have some sort of beginning; in other words, at what level is the learner currently performing successfully? Behavioral theories imply that teachers ought to arrange environmental conditions so that student responds properly to presented stimuli (Ertmer & Nemby, 1993, p. 60). I can only agree with the behaviorist approach up to a certain extent. <br />After learning more about the various theories, I’ve discovered that I could learn within the realms of all theories depending on the qualifications and factors of the cause. <br />- What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?<br /><br />First, learning styles vary depending on the situation of instruction or desired objective(s). I believe that all learners learn within the means of each learning theory; it’s just not realized yet. Overall, I’m not convinced that people learn by way of only one learning style; I would suggest a melting-pot of learning styles to be exact. <br /><br />Motivational factors are suggested to influence how attentive an individual absorbs information: for example, in order for students to enjoy a lecture or course, something has to spark their interest in order to trigger a sense of motivation; whether it’s intrinsic or extrinsic. <br /><br /><br />- How will your learning in this course help you as you further your career in the field of instructional design?<br />Learning in this course will help me as I further my career in the field of instructional designer: I now have the knowledge of how people actually go through a process of learning and I’m able to identify the characteristics. I think one of the crucial things that an instructional designer can (and should!) do is make sure that students have opportunities to actively practice what they are learning. I’ve always had a desire to develop and build websites to increase how students (people) learn. <br />References<br />1. Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspectiveNathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-77362424830149717842010-02-21T22:42:00.001-05:002010-02-21T23:25:48.783-05:00Fitting the Pieces TogetherNow that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?<br /><br />I don’t believe my view of how I learn has changed much; however, I now have a deeper understanding of the various: I’m also aware that my learning style or how I learn is unconditional, in other words I’m an adaptive learner: leaning that is conducive to the situation. Originally my view of my learning style gravitated towards the Constructivism Theory. According to Etmer & Newby (1993), “Constructivism equates learning with creating meaning from experience” (p. 62). Social constructivist scholars emphasize that individuals make meaning through interactions they have with each other and with the environment they live in (Kim, 2001). <br /><br />What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences? <br /><br />As I continued to study the various learning theories and learning styles, I became more convinced that I learn best using Constructivism, although I may incorporate aspects of other learning styles depending on what I am learning. For example, I recently decided to learn to play the Acoustic Guitar. My initial approach could be describe as using tenets from the behaviorism theory, specifically operant conditioning, which Standridge (2001) states is “the rewarding of part of a desired behavior”. Skinner, the creator of operant conditioning concluded from his research that “people would repeat acts that led to favorable outcomes, and suppress those that produced unfavorable results” Standridge (2001). When learning to play, I would consistently use repetitive actions to produce a desired result, the correct note at the correct time. When I made a mistake, I would stop the behavior that produced the mistake. Consistent practice led to better play. However even in learning to play the Acoustic Guitar: ultimately I would return to constructivism: because I learn and absorb information best where I could learn from watching others play and ask questions. In addition, I’ve discovered that using my previous piano playing experience supported my ability to develop various chords and another musical discipline.<br /><br />What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)? <br />Personalizing technology is a daily routine within my life; from the time that I wake up to performing my job duties and or tasks at work or preparing a recording session in the studio for a vocalist. I utilize my pda (T-Mobile “Click”) to keep track of upcoming events and schedule. I also utilize my phone as an mp3 player with song downloaded form iTunes; however, converted using a song conversion tool. <br /><br />References:<br /><br />1. Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71. <br /><br />2. Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism <br /><br />3. Standridge, M. (2001). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=BehaviorismNathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-40291594787538113432010-02-07T20:57:00.006-05:002010-02-08T01:32:04.143-05:00"Connectivism"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QbXcB1r3C4g/S29vmvaqanI/AAAAAAAAAAM/MYVv50VGseU/s1600-h/MyMindMap_Connectivism.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QbXcB1r3C4g/S29vmvaqanI/AAAAAAAAAAM/MYVv50VGseU/s320/MyMindMap_Connectivism.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435685986613488242" /></a><br />________________________________________________________________________________________<br />One aspect of connectivism is the use of a network with nodes and connections as a central metaphor for learning. In this metaphor, a node is anything that can be connected to another node: information, data, feelings, images. Learning is the process of creating connections and developing a network. Not all connections are of equal strength in this metaphor; in fact, many connections may be quite weak. Dr. Mohamed Ally at Athabasca University supports connectivism as a more appropriate learning theory for online learning than older theories such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. This position rests on the idea that the world has changed and become more networked, so learning theories developed prior to these global changes are less relevant. However, Ally argues that, "What is needed is not a new stand-alone theory for the digital age, but a model that integrates the different theories to guide the design of online learning materials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism_%28learning_theory%29).<br /><br />1. How has your network changed the way you learn?<br />Currently, learning for me totally consists of the internet. My entire life is completely surrounded by the use of technology. For example, my current job title as student services coordinator and it's responsibilities deals heavily with social networking sites such as: facebook.com, youtube.com etc... My network has changed the way that I learn because, whether the information is old or new, each source within my network will be utilized to the fullest extent. <br /><br /><br />2. Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?<br />Facebook is a social networking website that best facilitate leaning for me. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, and school or college. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better.<br />Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, and school or college. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better.<br /><br />3. How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions?<br />We all know that the internet is about knowledge, sharing and giving. Therefore, whenever I have a question I always seek the advice of various websites; site sources, references etc. the internet seems to be the most accurate and or timely source of news to date. Reading books are great; however, the downside of reading a book is, not only is confined to the message of the author of that particular book but there are no link to point the reader to other books and or topics of relation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook).<br /><br /><br />4. In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism? My personal learning network supports connectivism by allowing me to engage in online resources conducive to learning and development. Personal Learning Networks (PLN) are the people and resources that help us learn, being able to pick and choose how to learn various concepts gives the learner control of how and what what information is important towards the learning goal(s).<br /><br />Reference: <br />1. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism_%28learning_theory%29<br />2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FacebookNathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-5549913565906501982010-01-19T00:33:00.007-05:002010-01-20T01:10:19.885-05:00LMS (Learning Management Systems)| E-learning authoring tools |Ok, future Instructional Designers; I've taken the liberty to conduct minute research on various tools and or platforms that companies desire an instructional designer to have(skills and possibly experience) as a successful applicant. So, I'm currently searching for a new job that I could develop more experience and have much more control within the creative process of learning and education. The key to learning and or knowing about these programs is, by paying attention to the job description of what the client or job is requesting.<br /><br />Here's a list of programs that you should start researching on youtube.com<br />1. SharePoint <br />2. InDesign<br />3. MS Project<br />4. Atempo(digital asset management system)<br />5. ThirdLight (digital asset management system)<br />6. WebCT<br />7. BlackBoard| Angel<br />8. Adobe Captivate<br />9. Adobe Flash<br />10. Coggno<br />11. Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Learning Environment)<br />12. IQon2010<br />13. Syberworks<br />14. eCollege<br /><br />Stay tuned, for more sites will be posted . . .<br /><br /><br /><br />Experience conducting meetings, collaboration, collecting and compiling information<br /><br />Proficient with , , and is preferredNathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-70932674969905982432010-01-17T23:39:00.007-05:002010-01-18T02:46:13.585-05:00"The Brain and Learning" A complicated machine, but yet simple to understand?I believe that all learners have their own unique perspective, experience, and learning style, and that will affect how they finally understand. I would like to start this blog off asking a question: how does learning really change the brain? This first web-blog (http://www.funderstanding.com/content/brain-based-learning) in summary focuses on brain-based learning: a learning theory that is based on the structure and function of the brain. As long as the brain is not prohibited from fulfilling its normal processes, learning will occur. The continues the suggestion, that everyone learns; however, at an individual's pace and experience. <br /><br /><br />This next site (http://www.aarp.org/health/brain/works/what_is_learning.html) suggests, as we learn, our brains adapt to reflect the new information we feed them: our brains' ability to adjust their structures to reflect life experiences (scientists call this "plasticity") is what enables us to learn—and to change our brains by learning.<br /><br />While extracting information from both sites and in conclusion compiling the two sources together, I now have a clearer understanding of the learning process.<br />Let's take for example an newborn/baby: how does a newborn learn information without first having an understanding of how to apply certain capabilities to new conditions etc. . . In order for the brain to process learn, somewhere along the line, a preexisting thought of memory has to be in a storage-bank or foreknowledge of thoughts. The brain essentially organizes itself in accord with its experience to prepare for the future. <br /><br /><br />So, my question now is: at what stage in our lives does learning (a knowledge of preexisting-stored information) begin, when we don't don;t have preexisting knowledge of information.Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473971564524249682.post-75259995484084782852010-01-10T02:52:00.002-05:002010-01-11T00:34:46.639-05:00The Doorway To Professional Learning Communities. . .ID (Instructional Design) - http://www.instructionaldesign.org/<br /><br />To begin, this website is designed to present to those seeking an effective use of educational technology as to solving many of educational challenges faced throughout the globe. This website provides and or presents learning resources to help teachers learn about educational technology tools that can improve teaching and learning. <br />While effective learning should be the driving force behind technology integration, it is important to keep up with technological advances in order to recognize potential solutions. Tools are abundant, but we must be able to recognize how to leverage their capabilities in order to improve the learning experience. To conclude, education is in need of a major improvement, a revitalizing creative disruption of dissonance that spear-heads the campaign for a more interesting appeal to not only those learners with academic challenges; however, presenting content in a more appealing manner which encourages our better yet, keeps the learner engaged during the leaning process.<br /><br /><br />Experiencing E-Learning - http://christytucker.wordpress.com/<br />I've really enjoyed previewing this website because the creator of this particular blog/website presents her approaches and personal experiences towards the instructional design field. For example, the author's blog is sectioned off into helpful resources: Instructional Design Skills - This section of the blog is an introductory of understanding towards those considering to enter in this field, basically, explaining the possible job functions of the instructional designer. The author continues by instilling a message of encouragement for learning as much as possible in regards to exploring the many resources that are readily available within the site/blog; Technology Skills for Instructional Designers - this section explains the importance of learning and or becoming familiar with various platforms; Adobe flash player, Dream weaver etc. <br /><br />eHow.com - http://www.ehow.com/how_5110018_become-instructional-designer.html<br />Sometimes people can pursue an idea or better yet, and educational path; however, the individual is often at times sidetracked and or influence with the thought of how much money one can possibly make within a certain career. This last website keys-in towards the focus and the necessary steps of becoming an instructional designer. Successful Instructional Designers should be able to work across all forms of media, including traditional classroom settings, corporate training and advanced e-learning. They must be able to synthesize large amounts of complicated material into easily digestible segments in a manner that facilitates learning that students enjoy. Instructional Designers should have a thirst for knowledge and a curiosity about the principles of learning that drives them to seek new and innovative learning delivery methods. <br /><br />In conclusion, I hope that I can continually grow with developing the skills and locating many resources to not only becoming a seasoned instructional designer; however, enhancing techniques for creating more efficient blogs.Nathaniel C. Kelley IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09208674412413944781noreply@blogger.com1