Chapter 5-6, Question 3

What are authoring systems? What is the difference between drill-and-practice software and tutorial software? When is it appropriate to use each in teaching and learning?

Authoring Systems include programs that create computer-based customized multimedia lessons and those that create lessons for presentation online.

The difference between drill-and-practice software and tutorial software is that tutorial software is used primarily to present new material, whereas drill-and-practice software is designed to reinforce previously presented content.

For the purposes of teaching, drill-and-practice software should be used to reinforce a student's understanding of a particular concept or body of knowledge. For instance, if one were teaching the capitals and states in a history class, one might use appropriate interactive software to give the students practice and familiarity with that particular set of knowledge. For learning, one could perhaps use drill-and-practice software to ensure competence and accurate knowledge with a particular content before introducing it to students as part of a lesson plan.

Tutorial software should be utilised when the students have no familiarity with a concept or set of knowledge. For instance, if one were teaching an auto-mechanics class one might have the students complete a tutorial program on the disassembling of a car engine before they actually started taking one apart. As learning is concerned, tutorial software is invaluable when teaching oneself content before presenting it to students.

Chapter 1, Question 3

My synthesized view of teaching, learning, and technology.

The concepts surrounding teaching and learning are naturally and inherently conjoined. Without one the other could not exist. In order to teach, one must have a student in some form or another; likewise, in order to learn as a student, one must have a teacher. It seems like a simple concept, but the symbiotic nature of the student/teacher relationship is often quite complex, and not always entirely apprehensible. Quite often the roles can become reversed, and it is the teacher who learns more than the student.

Technology fits into the student/teacher equation as seamlessly as any environmental factor or teaching tool, and as such, it can be in a positive or negative way. I believe the main difference between a positive and negative influence from technology is concerned with propriety. How appropriate is a given technology to the instruction that I am trying to produce? How is it going to affect the learning process in regards to the particular students that I am teaching? How well do I understand the technology in question? All of these questions and more should be asked before one implements the use of a particular technology into their instruction.

Technology can be used to great effect within the context of education. If it is appropriate to the lesson and the message intended by the instructor. If it is inappropriate then it becomes, at best, a waste of time, and since time is a key component of the educational process, it is imperative that we not throw any away needlessly. For instance, showing students an accurately performed video of the play, Hamlet, could enhance the students' understanding of the play as they read it, since they will now have a more precise vision of the story's action. Whereas an audio version or a poorly interpreted version on video could perhaps fall flat and simply not accomplish the goal of enhancing the students' understanding of the story.

Since we have established that instructional time with students is important and that it should be valued as such, it is therefore crucial that an educator understand a given technology and its usefulness within the classroom before bringing that technology into the classroom. One must sacrifice one's own time outside of class to learn to use the technology so that class time is not wasted in doing so. Fumbling around with a laptop to get a Powerpoint presentation working or being unable to properly operate a DVD player during class time is inexcusable. If an educator spends 10 minutes from a 50 minute class trying to work a machine, 20% of the class has been wasted. This sorta of behaviour is inappropriate and inefficient and should be responsibly curtailed when one is charged with something as valuable as the education of others.

Chapter 3-4, Question 2

Why is it advantageous for educators to share resources and programs on a network? What concerns are associated with program sharing?

It is advantageous for educators to share software and other digital resources on a network. It is time and labour efficient and circumvents the problem of having to install software at every workstation individually. This is accomplished by simply installing the programs on the server's hard drive, which leaves the workstation computer's hard drive open for storage of other files unique to that workstation's applications. The workstation operators are free to copy the software to the individual machines if they so choose, or they can simply run the program from the server.

Another benefit to sharing software is cost efficiency. Software is often very expensive. Usually, companies offer institutions the opportunity to purchase software at a discounted price for exclusive network usage. The discount is often quite substantial and is usually more efficient than even buying the program at a bulk discount for each machine.

There are a few concerns regarding the sharing of software via a network. Foremost is the fact that all of the workstations rely on a single copy of the program. If problems occur with the network's copy of the program, all workstations could potentially be unable to access the networked resources. Many networks keep redundant resources in the form of backup servers, to prevent any interruption of services.

Introduction

Hey,

My name is Pyran Taylor. This blog is for a class project; otherwise, I have never written a blog before. I am a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, where I also received my Bachelor's Degree in English, with a minor in Classics (more specifically Latin). I plan to teach high school until I get tired of it, and then move on to something else.

I am a writer, with a couple of minor publications under my belt. Naturally, I also like to read. I enjoy physical activities, working out, martial arts, boxing, etc. I don't watch much TV. I own a dog named Rook. Nothing much else to see here.

Chapter 2, Question 1

How can an instructional design model help you develop your instructional plan? Identify the steps of the DID model and briefly explain each.

The Dynamic Instructional Design Model can be an important aspect of developing strategic educational planning. The intent of its development and utilization is to provide the educator with a critical tool, by which he may ultimately further enhance the students' learning experience. The DID explores many of the various aspects of the educational process and allows the educator to observe them and make planning decisions based on the information provided. The DID model's performance in this task is useful, as it enhances an educator's knowledge and consideration of his students, thereby allowing him to make better decisions involving the planning strategies, by which he intends to instruct his students.

Step 1: Know the Learners. The step of the DID model instructs the educator to know the people that he intends to instruct. In order to provide effective instruction to his students, the educator must have certain information regarding his students. He must insure that he is meeting the needs of the students in several different ways. Students vary in countless ways, including learning styles, developmental stages, and skill levels. All of these factors and more must be considered and accurately judged if the educator is to successfully maximize the potential of both the instruction and the learners.

Step 2: State Your Objectives. Objectives are the goal and the intention of the educational process. For instance, the objective of a literature lesson could be that the student is able to consistently recognize the use of metaphors in a given text. This is measured at the end of the lesson. It is important to note, that the performance of the student is the measured variable here, and not the performance of the instructor. The instructor must also insure that his objectives meet certain criteria. The objectives must be stated in a format that makes it possible to accurately measure the students performance. Without accurate measurements of objectives the data learned is invalid. The objectives must also target different levels of critical thinking. It is important to consider Bloom's Taxonomy regarding the objectives of one's instruction.

Step 3: Establish the Learning Environment. The learning environment consists of all the factors involved with the instruction of a given student. Naturally this includes the space in which the student is instructed, the materials used in the instruction, even the minor things such as lighting, and temperature. It is the instructor's duty to provide the best possible learning environment for his students. He must ensure that the space meets the needs of the diverse students that are likely to be using the classroom. The classroom must be nurturing and secure for all of the students, as well. If students do not feel safe, they will not be in a proper mindset to learn. The classroom management system within the classroom is integral to this. If proper order is not established within the classroom, the atmosphere can quickly degenerate into chaos, which is naturally not a favourable learning environment.

Step 4: Identify Teaching and Learning Strategies. Teaching strategies are the methods by which the teacher will assist the students in achieving the desired objectives. Learning strategies are the lessons and activities required for the students to master any given content. This step in the process seems to revolve primarily around the pedagogical cycle, which is in turn comprised of a several steps: provide a pre-organiser, use motivators, build bridges to prior knowledge, share objectives, introduce new knowledge, reinforce knowledge, provide practice experiences, and culminating review. These are all fairly self-explanatory; however, each step must be considered in the instructional process. In addition, the diversity of students in the classroom must again be taken into account as they are concerned with the steps of the pedagogical cycle.

Step 5: Identify and Select Technologies. At this stage in the process, the educator must decide which technologies are most appropriate for the intended instruction. Each technology has advantages and disadvantages, and each must be considered carefully before the educator makes his decision. All of the aforementioned things must be taken into account such as diversity, learning styles, and environment.

Step 6: Perform a Summative Evaluation. At this point, one must reflect on the appropriateness of each step and each decision that has been made thus far. Essentially all the parts are checked again to make sure the whole machine is in working order. It is important to ensure that the data to be gained from the instruction is appropriate for the current lesson's teaching strategy and also for the overall instruction provided by the course.