Thursday, January 29, 2009

Definition and Time Line of Instructional Technology

I like the definition from our book "Trends in Issues in Instructional Design and Technology" because it has the elements that I believe are necessary to cover the wide array of what instructional design actually is.

"...[it] encompasses the analysis of learning and performance problems, and the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and management of instructional and noninstructional processes and resources intended to improve learning and performance in a variety of settings, particularly educational institutions and the workplace." (Reiser & Dempsey, 7)

There are several aspects of this definition that i think are critical for a definition. It covers instructional technology in a global sense, not just education. "Variety of settings" covers any arena where the technology would be present without being too wordy and technical. Three areas are addressed: the problem to be solved, how to design instruction to solve the problem, and the evaluation of the strategies and techniques. In our group work, we incorporated these ideas into our own synthesized definition that goes as follows:

"Instructional Technology is the field of study where hardware and software are used to solve real world problem through an instructional design process that has clear objectives and that is constantly evaluated." - Anass, Joseph, and Christian - EDIT 451

We also all agreed that a blended approach, constructivist and objectivist, to any problem would benefit any and all learners. We believe in learner centered activities with clear and explicit objectives that can be measured in a performance evaluation and also in a criterion based test.

As a group project, we also created a time line of instructional technology. Here is my example of my time line from the readings in our book and a hyper text history of instructional technology. An example of the our own instructional history time line:

Professional Organizations in Instructional Technology

These are 3 of the organizations that I would join so that I would have access to the latest journals, research, and conferences pertaining to my field of study. Since I am a 4th grade teacher, my interest is in educational applications of technology and instruction, but that could easily change as I make my way through the Master's Program at CSULA. Here are the professional organizations that I would most likely join in the future. One organization, ISTE, is a source for our current LAUSD technology standards.

1. Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
www.aect.org

Mission: “The mission of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology is to provide international leadership by promoting scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings.”

Cost: Regular membership $99.00

Publications: Educational Technology, Research, & Development
Quarterly Review of Distance Education
TechTrends

Conferences: 2009 AECT International Convention – annual
October 27 – 31, 2009
Louisville, Kentucky

ISMF - International Student Media Festival

Networking & PD: SecondLife – “AECT members to share and gain expertise as well as network with other professionals.”

Other benefits: AECT Job Center - Employers can post jobs and people can find jobs at the job center.

2. International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
http://iste.org

Mission: “Providing leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in education.”

Cost: Standard membership - $89.00

Publications: Learning and Leading with Technology
Journal of Computing in Teacher Education
Journal of Research on Technology in Education

Conferences: 30th annual – National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)
June 28th – July 1st, 2009
Washington, D.C.

Networking & PD: Webinar Seminars
ISTE-JHU Certificate
ISTE Institute: Leading with NETS
Technology Leadership Program
Strategic Planning with Implications Wheel® Facilitation
Assessment & Technology Training
Educational Technology Conference Strand Services
Best of the Best of NECC Workshops
NETS for Teachers: Train the Trainer Workshops
Networking - Second Life, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Employment seminars: ISTE’s Career Center

Other benefits: ISTE’s monthly e-newsletter, ISTE Update


3. International Technology Education Association (ITEA)
www.iteaconnect.org

Mission: “We live in a technological world. Living in the twenty-first century requires much more from every individual than a basic ability to read, write, and perform simple mathematics. Technology affects every aspect of our lives, from enabling citizens to perform routine tasks to requiring that they be able to make responsible, informed decisions that affect individuals, our society, and the environment.

Citizens of today must have a basic understanding of how technology affects their world and how they exist both within and around technology. Technological literacy is fundamentally important to all students. Technological processes have become so complex that the community and schools collaborate to provide a quality technology program that prepares students for a changing technological world that is progressively more dependent on an informed, technologically literate citizenry.”

Cost: Standard membership - $80.00/ year

Publications: Journal of Technology Education

Conferences: ITEA's 71st Annual Conference
Louisville, Kentucky
March 26-28, 2009

Networking & PD:
Interest Groups – TSA, Women in Technology, Design, Engineering Education, Energy-Efficient Vehicles, and Robotics & Automation
Learning Communities – Hemisphere Listserv, IdeaGarden Listserv, Innovation Station Listserv, and TIDE Watcher Listserv
Facebook Groups – ITEA Young Professionals, ITEA Classroom Professionals, and ITEA University Professionals
ITEA Online Blog – Advocating Technological Literacy

Other benefits: Career Connections – can post resume on ITEA’s website for 2 months free, can advertise openings on website for $100/ month

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

EDIT 451

This blog has been solely created to invite and share ideas on educational technology in all fields. The secondary function of this blog is to record my work in EDIT 451, a class that I am taking at Cal State LA as part of my MA program in Education. I have kept this blog separate from my Mr. Reed's Classroom because, at this point, my work is separate from my classroom practice. As my educational and professional paths converge, I may at a later date try to merge the two blogs, if that is even possible. For now, they remain two separate entities.