My Future Job

I started my journey into Instructional Technology because I wanted to be an Elementary Technology Teacher, which was what I was doing as a teacher assistant. I was really happy then and loved my job. Right now my goal is to return to the elementary setting as a teacher. Working at the county level could also be rewarding, but I think I would miss the students. From taking this and a few other technology courses, I find the field of higher education very interesting. It would be wonderful to work with distance education at the high school, community college or college level.
A question I have is what exactly is the difference between the MS and the MAEd degree?

Instructional Media

Based upon my experience, I have used many forms of instructional media. I ran a computer lab in which I used drill and practice software programs. The SmartBoard is one of my favorite tools. I used it as a demonstration method to get the kids excited about the tool. I also used it with websites to get the kids engaged in instruction. I used a Qx5 microscope allowing the students to prepare slides that we examined and projected using the boxlight. I took the kids on various virtual field trips to support topics they were learning in the regular classroom. I also used the internet to produce various research projects. The school purchased a CPS (classroom performance system) where we created tests. The students loved it. They just had to press a button to submit their response to the questions. The only blog I have personally used has been for this class. I think that it could be a very effective middle school tool. Google Docs is an amazing tool. I participated in an online class in which I had to create a document using this format. It was very interesting and saved us a lot of time emailing the document back and forth. It would be beneficial to the school system when creating documents such as the school improvement plan in which so many hands are involved. I think that it would be interesting to teach distance learning courses. I would love to do this on a high school or community college level.

ISD Model

My personal assessment is that the ISD model of designing instruction can be very effective. I have been using it when writing lesson plans without even realizing it. When careful attention to each step is given, the intended results are sure to be reached. The design model contains all of the necessary steps for successful resolution of problems or needs. I feel the model itself is very strong. The weaknesses involved with the model include human error. All too often, we design instruction, and do not follow all of the steps in the process. This human error leads to instructional design flaws not based on the process but with implementation of the ISD process. Sometimes we conduct poor needs analysis, so the instruction is flawed from the start. We are assessing the wrong problem. Often we do not consider the diversity or needs of the learners. Assessment of the instruction and evaluation of the results is usually pass or fail with little reflection on the process. I think this is true in both the educational setting and the business world. In the educational setting, time is the major restraint. Teachers are so busy getting ready for the next day; they do not have time to reflect on the lesson or make improvements. In the business world, I would say that money is the main draw back. Companies often do not want to invest the money to complete all of the steps. Most people are looking for a quick fix to the problem.

How people learn?

I believe that people learn in a variety of ways. Some people are visual learners while others are auditory or tactical learners. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences is a perfect example of this. Some learn best if the material is set to music. Some learn best by doing hands on activities while others still prefer to read. I feel that instructional designers should take into account as many learning styles as possible when designing instruction. If you include lecture, visual aids, a hands on manipulative and or some form of technology in your lesson most of the students will retain the knowledge from the instruction.
I personally like the Constructivism theory. I feel that learners learn best from guided instruction with a gradual transfer of the responsibility for learning from the teacher to the learner. I feel that it is necessary to make connections between the content and the real world. It is important to explain why you need to learn this. In the computer lab, fifth graders learn to type. Many of them were complaining one day because they did not feel that they needed to know how to type. We went into a discussion about what they were going to be when they grew up. For every occupation they came up with, I could identify some form of technology they needed. When they understood why I wanted them to learn it there were no more complaints.
I feel that a good instructional designer will use which ever theory will benefit the students the most according to their learning style.

Job Search

I started this search thinking that it would be very easy. I was wrong. There are thousands of jobs in this field. I saw several that I was interested in, many of which require a doctorate degree. I found a job in Hawaii unfortunately; my family wants to visit, but is not interested in moving. After hours of searching I found a job that I would like to apply for. I found a job through the following site: Indiana University Bloomington


Instructional Developer, Appalachian State University in Boone NC
The applicant is responsible for a range of duties. They include coordinating the production of instructional technology projects and materials, developing and conducting face-to-face and online faculty workshops in TLT (Teaching and Learning with Technology), assisting faculty members in the design, development, and routine support of effective web-based courses, including web content, interactive exercises, assessments, and online communication. They applicant must explore and support the use of instructional design theory, instructional technology, technology tools, and media to enhance learning and interaction. The required qualifications include a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology, Educational Media, Instructional Systems Design, Educational Psychology, or related field.

This job sounds very interesting. I would enjoy a job such as this.

Question # 1

My definition of instructional technology is the integration of technology into daily lesson plans so that the entire core curriculum is enhanced, reinforced and sometimes provides initial instruction. Examples would be Orchard- a software program that teaches or reinforces the math, reading and science curriculum. As you teach time in the classroom, students can go to the lab and play an interactive time game. The program offers activities that reinforce grammar, writing, reading and science. It is a truly wonderful program, which spans the K-12curriculium. There are also many internet sites available to further instruction that is appropriate for students, such as starfall.com and harcourtmath.com. I worked in a K-5 computer lab as a TA for 3 ½ years, however, there was no teacher in there with me. I ran an Orchard, K-8 lab for a year. I created my own lesson plans. Second graders had to create a timeline of their life. They normally completed a poster. We planned a parent involvement night where the students brought in pictures, which we helped them scan into the computer and the parents helped them import the pictures into the Timeliner program. They typed a line about the picture and we printed them out. It was an educational experience for both the parents and the students. Fifth graders completed a unit on poetry. They wrote their poems in class and for homework. When they came to the lab, they brought their graded poems, then typed, and printed them for the teacher. She graded the printed version and we made corrections. In art class, they illustrated their poems. We scanned the illustrations into the computer. At the end of the unit, we printed the poems and illustrations on special paper and sent them to a book company, which bound a free hardback book for each student. For Latin American Month we paired a second grader and a seventh grader and had them conduct research on an assigned Latin American. Together they created 5 ½ x 5 ½ slides in PowerPoint. We printed the slides and glued them to a 6 x 6 box, which were displayed in the Media center. I used that same template to create class quilts for grades 3-5. The students used a digital camera, took pictures of other classmates and uploaded them to the computers. Students placed his or her picture and four words that described them on a slide. We glued them together to form the quilt, which was presented to the teacher to hang in the classroom or hallway. The quilt helped to create a learning community with each class. Third graders had to pretend to be on vacation and create a postcard in publisher, writing a note home to mom as part of their writing curriculum.
I truly love technology and I love to see the kids get excited about learning while using the computer.