Week 4 Reflection

1. Web and internet increased use in learning
The author does point to a greater increasing integration of technology with the classroom in the last few years and draws from it a conclusion that in three to five years computers and digital media will become of more importance in education. Looking at it now (compared to the book publish date of 2007) it hasn’t really taken off like he though it would it would. Budgeting crisis has laid off a lot of positions in technology, mothballed computer labs and put money that would have been spent on education programs in technology into keeping the doors open. If funding for education would have been made a proper priority we might have reached the levels he was envisioning.

Unfortunately since we are taking a different route the authors goals may end up being met after all. It’s cheaper to have one instructor broadcast to multiple classrooms rather than having a dozen on staff. A recorded lesson can be played every year with out having to pay for health insurance for the DVD player. These are probably the only realistically approachable ways for it to take shape in the K-12 levels.

Higher education and adult education has a much better chance of incorporating the web and internet for education. Colleges aren’t at the mercy of tax dollars like the lower grades and can pass of the expenses of new and innovative technologies on the students. My younger sister is at the same university I attended just over a decade ago and is paying almost twice the tuition!
Instructional technology is really taking off in the workplace. My husband is always taking part in webinars and was given an ipod full of training videos for his job. The competitiveness of the marketplace makes companies more willing to spend big money on more efficient ways to train staff and allow them to retain information. One of the articles from the first week of class touched on the importance of this.
2. Applying principals to my work
I was a bit dismayed to reach a chapter this late in the book and discover that it was another heavy dose of defining and redefining terms. I can understand importance behind the use of the technology tools we are learning about and the process and methodology of creating these tools. I can also get behind the formalizing and methodizing the concepts of the field of instructional technology and how it ties to into things like human performance involvement. I just wanted to see methods for applying these cool concepts and definitions into my own teaching methods. I flipped through a few more chapters and saw more of the same. It would be nice for more applied knowledge and less historical importance of word changes. The chart on page 141 seems to be the closest to this but would be more informative if they ran through a real life example through the steps for analysis and design. The book example of a rocking chair factory is a step in the right direction. It shows how a training department (or group) can lose its focus when its stated purpose gets subverted by reality boundaries of the company that pays for its employees and budget. In our district these small battles are fought regularly. Schools are like small kingdoms on their own rather than a united district when it comes to budgeting dollars.

I didn’t get a clear picture of the concepts of this chapter so I’m not really sure how to apply it to my classroom. We have systems for human performance improvement in our weekly team meetings, curriculum planning sessions and professional development sessions. HR doesn’t have a role in this like other companies leaving a sort of disconnect between its roll as discussed in the text and how it supports us. Our school improvement programs are closer matching to the way the book is defining HPI. As I mentioned above this chapter seems to be content light despite being word rich. I don’t see a way it can improve the programs we already have in place.

Note a typo in the book: the chapter pages are titled at the top “Chapter 14 The Development and Evolution of Human Performance Involvement” which caused me to do a double take. Involvement is much different than improvement. Of course I would like to see human involvement increased in my classroom when it comes to my students parents!

3. Podcasting
I’m not a fan of the name podcasting as it doesn’t clearly define what it is. It seems like its just a recording on the internet. Why the fancy name? This type of recording would be difficult to use with kindergarten students. They have enough trouble sitting still as it is with out having to be silent to listen to an audio recording. They are much more excited with a “silly songs” CD where we can get up and dance. A podcast for teachers would be helpful allowing theme oriented training on various subject matters that relate to our field. I found one podcast related to early childhood education but haven’t had time to listen:
http://www.helendoron.com/podcast.php
It seems like it would be a lot of work to organize and record a weekly podcast. I could see if there was monetary compensation a person might be more motivated to record one. If it was of sufficient quality I would pay to subscribe to one related to early childhood, organizing learning stations, or differentiated instructional groups.

4. Social Bookmarking
Social bookmarking to me had immediate value. I’ve lost websites over the years and have spent time struggling to remember that one link I have on my work computer but not at home. I don’t have a lot of tech savvy friends to take part in the social part but perhaps sharing links with other students in this class will give me enough of that. I recommend adding each semesters students you have to one continuous list that you share out at the end of the semester. That would provide a wealth of links for educators! I’ve already talked about it to some of my coworkers and will bring it up at the next staff meeting we have. The value it provides is clear!