Section 7: New Directions for Instructional Design and Technology

• From Chapter 28 locate 5 examples of distributed learning. You may pick and choose from the following list.  

                       Corporate distributed learning

     Dale Carnegie Training http://www.dalecarnegie.com/

     DCT is a performance based corporate training company that also offfer individual development opportunities. Classes can be taken through 2 and   3 day seminars, through webinars or live online sessions.

2)      Academic distributed learning

      Dallas TeleCollege http://dallas.dcccd.edu/

      Dallas County Community College District provides all of their online classes through Dallas TeleCollge. Students may specifically attend the       online college for a full virtual experience or mix this option with classes            taken on campus. Online classes can be assessed through the school’s   online service called ECampus.

3)      Distributed resource support

      Global Virtual Classroom http://www.virtualclassroom.org/

      GVC is a free online website that allows teachers and students from around the world to collaborate through virtual classes, activities and resources.

4)      Distributed learning via virtual institutions

      Connections Academy of Texas www.academyconnections.com

      Connections Academy of Texas provides is an online virtual public school for grades 3-8.

5)      Skills-based training

      EnCompass LLC www.encompassworld.com

      EnCompass is a consulting firm that provides skill based training for business development, in person and through an e-learning system.

• Chapter 29 discusses the concept of reusability. Think back over the courses you've had over your educational career and identify one with poor reusability characteristics. Explain how the course could be redesigned to improve reusability without changing the underlying content.

I took a self-paced history class in western civilization that could have been redesigned to improve reusability. This course involved having one meeting with the instructor at the beginning of the class to detail what was expected of students. The format of this class was to read 4 to 5 chapters at home and to take a test in the testing center without any teacher involvement throughout the semester. Although the convenience of this class was a plus, the chapters were very long and I needed a component that would allow me to focus on main ideas in each chapter. What I would consider important throughout the chapters would not be the material on the test. An online module through the school’s e-learning system would have allowed the instructor to create online lecture slides that would give students a focal point as we read through a mountain of material.

Another component that would improve reusability for me is videos, especially for history lessons. I recently watched a television series called the Tudors, which is a reenactment of the life of Henry the VIII of England. I learned so much about this important part of history. Watching the series made me realize how hard it is for students to relate to a time period of the past without having a visual part for them to relate to.

• Chapter 30 takes a look at using rich media. Find or create a visual for instruction describing its surface and functional features. 

After starting a new career in teaching, I have talked to many parents who are seeking for a way to help their children read at home. One main complaint is that they lack the ability to hold their child’s attention while reading books with them. In looking for resources to help parents and myself with students in reading, I found the website, www.starfall.com. This website covers the same areas of teaching students to read in early childhood that is used in classrooms, but with rich media enhancements. Students can learn to read through hearing the sounds of words as they click on the word. There are also animated characters that show the actions of words as they are clicked by students. For example, when a student clicks on the sentence, the rat ran, there is an animated rat running. This visual component draws students’ attention to learning and allows them to connect to learning through the familiarity of animation. The sound and visual parts are also used on this website to play card games that assist students with learning to read.

• Chapter 31 discusses the future of instructional technologies in the near future from metadata to nanotechnology. Describe how nanotechnology could be used to improve a specific job or task you are familiar with.

Nanotechnology could be used to improve communication between teachers and English language learners. Communication is also a problem between teachers and parents of English language learners to converse with one another about their child’s education. Nanotechnology could be useful in the creation of technological devices that will automatically translate what is being said between languages. This improvement is important because I have witnessed how the barrier of language in schools can keep a child from reaching their full potential. These devices will also further the effort of some school districts to further integrate classes between English speakers and English language learners. Not only will both parties learn a new language, but diversity relations will improve as well.

• And finally! Chapter 32 provides two points of view on the direction of the field - the straight and narrow road and the broad and inclusive road. Which point of view do you agree with and why?

I agree with the broad and inclusive road perspective for the future of instructional design. This point of view still has the important foundation of the straight and narrow road, but allows for the flexibility of constant change in the field. For example, the straight and narrow point of view method of inquiry uses established research methods, while the broad and inclusive road uses methods that are quantitative and qualitative.

                                                                                                               

 There is also a rapid change in technology that can be utilized in instructional design and the broad and inclusive road will allow for enhancement in this field. The broad and inclusive road seems to take the learning abilities of different people into account. Professional practices, diversity and humanities are important in establishing new ideas that can be used in instructional design. While the goals of both perspectives are the same, the broad and inclusive road allows instructional designers to use more resources and growth to reach that goal.  

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

Section 6 of your textbook focuses on how to get a job in the profession of instructional design. These rules can also apply to educational technology as well since the two are so intertwined.

• Chapter 24 takes a look at lessons learned from the chapter's author for obtaining a position in instructional design. Take a look at a few of the sources provided for job openings from lesson 1 and search for at least 3 positions that are of interest to you. Describe the general nature of the positions and list the skills required for the job. Do you have these skills? 

	Position #1	Position #2	Position #3
Job Title	Intermediate Implementation& Training  Specialist	Instructional Designer II	Instructional Designer
Company	Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, TX.	Serco Inc.	Intuition of Dallas, TX.
Requirements	4 year degree and 2 years experience in instructional design	4 year degree specifically in instructional Design or education, 5-7 years experience in instructional design, experience also highly preferred in human resources concerning laws, policies and procedures	4 year degree, 4-5 years experience in an e-learning environment, creatiivty
Job Summary	Provides exceptional facilitation and basic educational expertise to systematically assess, design, develop, implement, and evaluate performance initiatives that ensure continuing competence of clinical and non-clinical health care personnel.  These education and performance initiatives promote continuing competence, lifelong learning, and professional development and support the mission, vision, and values of Children's Medical Center of Dallas. Under direct supervision, the intermediate-level specialist leads and ensures (ADDIE) basic performance improvement initiatives, maintains record of training activities, employee progress, and program effectiveness.	1. Contributes to the design & development of leadership development programs. 2. Performs job task analysis and curriculum design. 3. Works under the supervision of the Project Manager to develop and document instructor-led, paper-based technology delivered curricula or performance support solutions.	1. Taking a body of knowledge supplied by experts and turning it into cogent and compelling Web-based training 2. Liaising with subject matter experts on content 3. Working on the design and application of interactive techniques, including metaphor design, content mapping, and visual elements adhering to good interactive and instructional design principles
My Eligibility	I would qualify for this position in education, but not in experience. However, this job starts at the intermediate level and requires less experience than the other jobs I researched. I would try asking about internship programs within this company or other companies to gain the necessary experience. It would also be exciting to utilize instructional design in the field of healthcare. I can see the connection between healthcare and education. http://www.careerbuilder.com/	After viewing this job on www.monster.com, I went to the company’s website to view other positions. I wanted to know if there were entry level jobs available since the job title is for an Instructional Designer II. I did not find many entry level positions or internships, but was pleased to see that a degree in education would be considered for employment. I also found on http://www.serco-na.com/ that this company was primarily contracted to work with the federal government; specifically the military.	Although I lack the 4-5 experience requirement for this position, this company seemed very open to develop a person who they thought was creative enough and had been exposed to e-learning enough to work for their company. I would enjoy working for this company more than the others I have researched because their focus in the fields of education and life sciences, and I am very familiar with both. http://www.astd.org/

• Remember that the field of instructional/educational technology is not just focused on education, but on business and industry as well. Look at the resources provided on page 258 in chapter 25 and select one of these links and complete the self assessment. What did you learn about yourself from the assessment? 

I took a career assessment for an Entry Level Instructional Design Specialist on the American Society for Training and Development website (http://www.astd.org/astd/careers). According to this website, entry level positions in the field of instructional design require 0-2 years of experience. Through this assessment I found that I possessed more experience in instructional design than I originally thought. My score in delivering training was on target for the equivalent of 2 years experience. Many of the skills I use in teaching are very similar in this field such as motivating my audience to learn and preparing needed training materials according to the specific needs of learners. However, my weakest areas were in tasks that require more experience in the business field such as building and maintaining client relationships and actually creating instructional design material according to the needs of clients. I can see how more training in the areas I lack will bring me up to speed. In some areas, I only need to apply what I have learned in education to the fields of military, medical or technology. For example, my current clients are my students, parents and community. The same connections can be used in any career that utilizes instructional design.

• Chapter 26 lists several websites for professional organizations and websites for professional publications. Visit 2-3 websites for professional organizations and 2-3 websites for the professional publications and address the following:

1) Professional organizations: Academy of Human Resource Development

Mission: To develop a community of interest recognized as a global human resource development center of excellence that promotes ethical research and practice. To influence and encourage the creation and systematic study of theories, processes, and techniques that advance human resource development.

To foster research-practice linkages. To disseminate knowledge of human resource development theories, processes, and techniques. To encourage the incorporation of research results into HRD degree and professional development programs. To provide fellowship for individuals with scholarly and professional interests in human resource development.

            Cost of membership: $235 annually

Publications: Advances in Developing Human Services

                     Human Resources Development International

                     Human Resource Development Quarterly

                     Human Resource Development Review

Conferences and meetings:  Sustaining Growth through Human Resource Development 12th International Conference of the Academy of HRD (Europe Chapter) 25 - 27 May 2011

Human Resource Development in Asia: Capitalizing Human Expertise for Greater Innovation & Creativity 10th International Conference of the Academy of HRD (Asia Chapter) December 3 – 6, 2011

Opportunities for professional development: Professional development information is only available to members who have access online.

2) Professional organizations: American Educational Research Journal

 Mission: The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.

            Cost of membership: $150 annually

Publications: American Educational Research Journal SIA and TLHD sections,                               Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Researcher,                     Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, Review of Educational Research       

            Conferences and meetings:  AERA annual meeting April 30-May 4, Denver, CO.

Opportunities for professional development: Professional development is offered through graduate student programs and membership only opportunities.

• Professional publications: Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education

Focus/Goals of the journal- CITE journals are a combination of peer reviewed journals that are sponsored by five different professional associations. Educational Technology: General (SITE), Technology and Science Education (ASTE), Technology and Mathematics Education (AMTE), Technology and Social Studies Education (NCSS-CUFA) Technology and English Education (CEE)

Submission guidelines: Material must be original, reflect the integrity expected of scholarly communication, and demonstrate a coherence and unity that makes the paper both understandable and interesting. Before submitting an article, please review the following suggestions. Original manuscripts received in correct form serve to expedite the review process, others will be returned to author. Spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and the mechanical elements of arrangements, spacing, length, and consistency of usage in form and descriptions should be studied before submission. All photographs submitted with manuscripts must include a copy of a signed permission form from the copyright holder.

Is this a peer reviewed journal? Yes

Is the journal online? Yes

• How is the journal and organization useful to you and your career? Were you aware of the organizations/journals that you researched? 

This journal is useful to me in my career because I will be able to research educational practices that are currently helpful in my field. This journal is specifically useful because of the combination of different subjects. This type of setup is reflective of the integration of several educational components that will academically assist children in learning. Even though I was not aware of this journal, I look forward to using it more in the future.