Section 5

Chapter 18 discusses instructional design in business and industry. Give an example of rapid prototyping and discuss how this could be used in education.

Rapid prototyping can be effectively used in math to help students with problem solving. Students can utilize a tool called the Makerbot to create geometric shapes, build their skills in measurements and create a prototype of ideas that they have designed. The Thing-O-Matic is a 3D printer that creates a physical prototype of a digital design that a person develops on a design program. This method of design would be great for the learning process of all students, but especially for those students who learn better with tangible resources such as a manipulative. Makerbot has a complete line of 3-D printers that are at a lower cost than prototype printers used in major corporations. Although purchasing such a machine may be costly for some districts, teachers can manually use this concept.  Students can draw their designs on paper and use material such as sticks and plastic connectors to create a prototype. The first picture below is an example of a manual prototype of a geometric shape called a tetrahedron. The second picture is a simple tetrahedron prototype being created by a Makerbot 3D printer. There is much more learning that teachers can use the Makerbot for in the subjects of math, science and technology. The website for more information is www.makerbot.com.

                     

Chapter 19 discusses instructional design opportunities in military education and training environments. I had the opportunity to work two summers in Orlando on a faculty fellowship in the advanced distributed learning lab (ADL) discussed in the book and saw first hand some of the constraints placed on some of the tools that could be used for learning. Pretend you are hired as a consultant for the military. They want to use technology in its training, but electronic access is not always available. Using the Full Spectrum diagram, what alternatives could you suggest for a successful program?

As a consultant for the military without electronic access, I would suggest using two methods that would be effective in every environment of military involvement. First I would use simple, but well constructed laminate training cards. The cards would provide step by step training materials in the classroom while being durable enough to utilize on the base or during deployment. The second method I would use is modeling by having specially trained soldiers to replicate training to other soldiers. This strategy would require that a specific number of soldiers be trained for this purpose, especially when going out for deployment. For example, when in the classroom there should be one trainer for every twenty soldiers and one for every forty soldiers on base. However, in deployment the amount of soldiers would need to be smaller in size.

Chapter 21 looks at radical educational change in P-12 settings. I visited the Chugach School District in Alaska and know Richard DeLorenzo very well. I can assure you that this change can occur in our schools. Review the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology and the GSTE. Outline a staff development activity that will introduce both methodologies to your colleagues. 

To introduce GSTE and Step-Up-To-Excellence at a staff development meeting I would begin with the discreet suggestion of GSTE. I would first assess among the staff members their desire for change through an open-ended survey. I would then show a short film that I will create with actors who will model common problems that need change throughout our school as a prompt for discussion. After evaluating the surveys, I would call a discussion with everyone to talk of how concerns of the surveys can be changed through the phases and processes of GSTE and SUTE. I would then create teams to lead specific phases of the new methodology.

Navigating through the ranks of a faculty member in higher education can be tricky. A good institution has support for its faculty and provides faculty development opportunities to grow and learn. Research three different university offices for faculty development. Answer the following questions for each office:

What are the different names used for faculty development?

What division is it under?

What services does it offer?

How often are programs given and what specifically are they?

1) The University of North Texas faculty development is named the Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment and Redesign and is under the Technology Division. CLEAR provides consultation, production, marketing, production, copywriting, administrative guidance, assessment and technology assistance. Live online training is provided on a monthly basis through the Blackboard Vista system, videoconferencing is readily available and a University Forum on Teaching & Learning takes place on an annual basis, among other programs.

2) The University of Texas at Dallas faculty development is named Office of Educational Enhancement and is under the Technology Division. Services of this office include teaching workshops, consultations, instructional design, seminars, and media services. Webinar workshops are offered online often and face to face workshops are available on a monthly basis for the staff to sign up as they please.

3) The University of Texas at Arlington faculty development under the division of Academic Affairs is named Faculty Enrichment. They have a faculty to faculty mentoring program, teaching circles and instructional support sessions online and face to face during the fall sessions.