Section 4: Human Performance Technology

Chapter 14’s discussion of human performance improvement reminded me of the changes that have happened in my district and on my campus for the last few years.  A few years ago the district that I work for went from having one K-1 campus, one campus for second grade, and one 3-5 campus to having 3 K-5 campuses. This was a huge adjustment for anyone who had worked in the district very long.  Principals were shifted, many of us were separated from our favorite teaching partners or grade levels and most of us had to work in a new building! It was not an easy transition.  Many people were very unhappy with their new assignment.  It created a very cold almost hostile working environment; it was like it was every man for himself! Nobody wanted to work together to the point that there was even some backstabbing going on!  This continued the next year, when the district decided to make the three K-5 campuses K-6.  Once again many teachers were unhappy.  Last year our superintendent decided to retire and once again, many teachers were upset and worried about changes. All of the changes that our staff had been through seemed to really impact the motivation of the staff.   Things were getting done but it seemed that the passion that had once fueled them had faded.

This year our administration has implemented staff affirmations.  The staff members write a note when they want to recognize another staff member for something positive and can either place it in their teacher mailbox or in a treasure box in the office where the assistant principal can read it during the morning announcements.  We also have a superhero doll (our school theme is superheroes) that we pass around each Friday at the school assembly where the giver publicly affirms the receiver. This has been very touching to watch each Friday!  Before this year, wearing jeans was a very rare occurrence but each staff member received a jeans pass as a birthday gift before school started.  The administration also now gives out jeans passes to staff members as a reward for various activities that are not required but allow staff members to work together with others that they may not normally work with.  Some examples include helping with the campus float for the homecoming parade, working Chick-Fil-A night, helping with another grade’s evening musical, etc.  I really think that, although it may seem simple, the jeans passes and affirmations really helped the campus come together.  It is really beginning to feel like a family and the atmosphere is no longer hostile but very pleasant.

An electronic performance support system is a way that computers can help solve human performance problems.  Using a computer application, users can access several tools that will help them improve their performance.  The tools can provide help in many areas of performance from providing simulated experiences to step by step instructions on how to complete a task.  I do not think that an individual electronic performance support system would help my campus build the camaraderie that the affirmations and jeans passes has.  However, some sort of performance support system for work groups could have been beneficial.  When using a performance support system for work groups, the users are working together to perform an interdependent task.  This could be a way to help individuals work together on a specific project when they normally would not.  I could see this being helpful in bringing content specialist from each grade level together to work on some sort of vertical alignment of the TEKS for a specific content area. 

Knowledge management systems are a way of organizing information so that it is meaningful to the user and can help solve a problem. There are 4 types of knowledge: explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge, common knowledge and undiscovered knowledge.  There are 3 components to a good knowledge management system.  Codification is the component in which explicit knowledge is collected and organized for easy retrieval.  Collaboration is the component that focuses on the tacit knowledge, providing a platform for people to share what they know.  Collaboration and codification are very important and together can lead to new ideas and the certainty that everyone knows what they need to know.  Access is the third component and should provide a way for the knowledge seekers to easily access the knowledge gained from the collaboration and codification components of the knowledge management system.

Considering the problem of lack of motivation in my coworkers, I think a knowledge management system could have helped the administration arrive at a solution earlier than they were able to.  First, the administration would have to have enough information from the staff to identify what the problem was, maybe in the form of an anonymous survey.  Then, if they had access to a knowledge management system designed specifically for increasing motivation and cohesiveness among workers they would have been able to draw from others experiences in dealing with the same issue and had access to their problem solving solutions. 

I feel like my life is full of informal learning experiences! My coworkers and I are constantly discussing things we have tried, lessons that have been successful and we often work together to come up with new ideas about how to do something.  I use my computer for all sorts of research to find information about new activities, lessons or just general information.  If I want to know something, chances are I am going to try to find the answer myself.  We learn so much from our everyday experiences and that is also a form of informal learning.  I think that if done properly, informal learning and formal learning can easily be interconnected.  I love to read and I love to read “teacher books” as I learn so much from those types of things.  Our campus does a book study each year and because of the way it is conducted, it kind of takes the informal learning into formal learning.  Each month our grade levels meet and discuss the month’s reading assignment.  This is a chance for us share the new knowledge that we have gained and how it pertains to us.  This is also a great time to hear other’s perspectives and gain new insight.  While each grade level reads the same assignment each month and has a discussion, each grade level also chose a particular section or chapter to present, in detail, at a faculty meeting.  This is more of a formal type of learning as opposed to the informal learning that is taking place from individuals reading alone and discussing as a small group. 

 

Section 3: Evaluating, Implementing and Managing Instructional Programs and Projects

In my research I started reading about the Snyder Evaluation Model.  The Snyder Evaluation Model involves participants in the evaluations. The Snyder Evaluation Model has three phases: process evaluation, outcome evaluation and short cycle evaluation and the three cycles build on each other for a complete model.  The process evaluation is simply analyzing the process to allow participants to see how their activities helped with their goals.  The second phase, outcome evaluation, uses the information from the first phase to determine the effects of the activities.  The third phase, short cycle evaluation, gives time to reflect on the outcomes and make changes to the evaluand, or what is being evaluated. 

This model could be used to evaluate instructional design in many different subject areas and grade levels.  I could even use this model with my kindergarten students in the form of picture surveys or individual interviews.  I often use an iPad during my guided reading lessons to allow students to work on word wall words on the chalkboard application.  I could easily conduct an interview with my students after the lesson to ask them to explain to me how using the iPad application helped them learn the word wall word. How they responded would help me determine the outcome: did they actually learn the word? Finally I would ask them if they preferred the chalkboard application to an actual chalkboard or whiteboard.

The next evaluation model that I read about was the Logic Evaluation model.  This model is very similar to the Snyder model as far as phases go.  The Snyder model is more participant based than the Logic model.  Depending on the variation that you use there are four to six steps for the Logic model.  For this blog I will explain the basic four: situation, input, output, and outcomes.  The situation step allows for explanation of what the purpose of the project.  The input phase evaluates the resources that are put in to make the project successful. During the output portion of this model, the activities are evaluated based on the impact that they had.  The final portion of this model, outcomes, allows for evaluation of short term, medium term and long term impact that the project had or could have. 

I would like to use this evaluation model for a science unit on living and non-living things.  The situation would be students learning enough characteristics to classify different organisms and objects into two categories, living and non-living.  Under the input portion of this model I would evaluate my materials: books, videos, slideshow presentations, picture cards, etc. For the output portion of this model I would evaluate how well the student learned the lesson and how they will be able to apply that knowledge to the same concept in a more advanced setting.

While it is important to know whether or not the instructional design is more effective or at least as effective as traditional methods as well as taking student satisfaction into consideration, there are other questions that an evaluation should help answer. 

1.    Is the project developmentally appropriate?

2.    Are the objectives met?

3.    Is the project relevant to learners?

4.    Is the project learner centered?

5.    Are the learners given opportunity to apply knowledge?

6.    Is the program cost effective?

There are too many questions that if answered could greatly benefit instruction to really give a complete list.  I think the most important ones focus on the learner.

Let me imagine this… Resources are scarce, it’s a time of economic decline and I’m in charge of developing a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom?!?

Sounds like a tall order but it can be done. Using the Situational Leadership approach requires the leader to change their style to fit the situation and that is exactly what I would have to do. The Situational Leadership approach is based on three factors: the amount of guidance and direction a leader gives, the amount of socio-emotional support the leader provides and the readiness level that followers exhibit in performing the specific task.  I would begin by assembling a team of colleagues that are well educated on the use of technology in the classroom and would be excited to give their time to a project like this.  I would meet with them and discuss what the goals and limitations are for this project, all the while emphasizing open communication between all team members.  Since I would be on a limited budget, these team members and their time are my main resources for this project.  I would rely heavily on their creativity to help me develop the professional development sessions and in following the four phases of Situational Leadership, my directions would taper off.  I would make sure to keep the lines of communication open for the course of the four phases. Together, we would work to complete this project with only using the technology resources that are available to us and focus on topics that the team members are confident in and knowledgeable about.  Since we are in an economic decline, we would have just been in an economic peak and should have some resources to use.   I would encourage my team to focus on professional development topics that are relevant to the teachers and could easily be used with outdated technology but also applied to new technology in the future. 

 

 

References:

http://learningforsustainability.net/evaluation/scale&intensity.php

http://learningforsustainability.net/pubs/cjds.html

http://www.aral.com.au/resources/snyder.html

http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/10553606170logframebib2.pdf

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html

 

 

 

Section 2: Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction

I want to begin by saying that this section was difficult for me.  I read and reread most of it several times trying to be certain that I understood what the authors were trying to express.  That being said, I believe that epistemologies, methods and theories are all closely related. Epistemology, according to the text is “the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge and understanding – their foundations, assumptions and validity” basically what we know or sometimes think we know and how we use or apply it.  Methods are the various ways that a person might teach something.  Theories describe how we learn and how we can teach to help students learn more efficiently. I see the three as being connected because we can agree with a certain one or several learning theories and use a variety of methods to teach our subject matter but our epistemic stance influences our decision.

Since someone with a positivist stance applies behaviorist principles to instruction basically they are saying “I am teaching you the absolute truth and whether you believe or understand it or not, it will still be the truth” Someone with a relativist stance teaches with pure constructivist theories and basically they are saying “The truth is out there, I will give you activities to help you construct the truth in your mind but it is up to you to make it what you need it to be.” Since a contextualist is somewhere in between the two perspectives but draws upon social constructivist theories, I can only assume that their thoughts on teaching would be something similar to “There is a truth out there but it can be seen in many ways.  I will give you activities to help you construct your truth but be open to others’ truths as well.” A contextualist epistemology considers that we cannot know something without knowing the context that it applies to and realizes that different contexts will lead to different understandings.

When problem solving is approached from a behaviorist perspective it is usually objective driven and presented in such a way that accepts only one correct answer, in reality there may be more instruction than actual problem solving taking place.  Constructivist approaches to problem solving are different in that they are more constructional than instructional.  They focus more on problem solving, the students are in control, and provide support to one another while the teacher is there as a facilitator. Learner motivation is critical to learner success.  Learner motivation only comes when the subject matter is relevant to the learner and in most cases the learner will find the subject matter more relevant when they are given an opportunity to participate in the subject selection. With that being the case, I think that a constructivist approach to problem solving would be more motivating for learners. 

Section 1: Defining the Field

Since I was waiting on my textbook to arrive I tried to get an early start and really thought about what I thought instructional or educational technology was.  The best definition that I could come up with was that instructional or educational technology is the use of any technology that aids in instruction.  This is a very general definition but my ideas come from other classes that I have taken and what I think of when I use technology in my classroom.   It was very interesting to read about the changes over the years concerning how to define instructional media.  As I was reading, I began to realize how hard it must be to create a definition for a field that changes so much! Although my definition was very general, I feel like as I read the definitions, in the order that they were listed in the book, I agreed with them more and more.  Oftentimes I would wonder why I didn’t include a certain thought in my own definition.  I didn’t mention anything about instructional design in my original definition, mainly because I didn’t realize it was a separate part of instructional technology.  I am so glad that the next chapter explained instructional design!

The lesson that I would like to compare to the 6 characteristics of instructional design is one that I developed for another technology class.  This math lesson is designed for kindergarten students who have had some practice with numbers to 10.  Before this lesson, students will have been taught numbers to 10 and how to use one to one correspondence to count numbers to 10.  They will also have been taught and had ample time to practice recognizing numerals and will have had practice matching numerals to a set of objects. I could list several specific TEKS that this lesson covers but the main goal for the lesson is for the students to be able to compare numbers to ten. I opened the lesson with a review of counting objects in a group to 10 modeled under the document camera with students counting along. After several examples, we worked together to complete a pencil and paper activity to teach the students how to compare numbers. The students then played a game located on the website for the kindergarten McGraw-Hill workbook to practice their skills.  The next day we went to the computer lab and the students worked on the IXL math website to complete the activities for comparing numbers to 10. I was able to check the IXL report to see how well the students did and pull small groups to reteach as necessary.  I feel like this lesson was very successful and adhered to the 6 characteristics of instructional design.  Every part of my lesson was focused on the students and their learning, I knew what the goal was for my lesson and had ways to determine if the students were learning, and while I did allow time for review and recalling information, the students had ample opportunities to perform their new skills.  I picked the activities for this lesson alone without consulting anyone, but in a way, I would consider the creators of the games and websites that we used to be my partners in making this lesson successful.

 

I think that Reiser excludes teachers, chalkboards and textbooks from instructional media because most discussions about instructional media that were discussed in the textbook did not include those things as instructional media.  I do however believe that teachers, chalkboards and textbooks should be considered instructional media.  I do not think that the purpose of instructional design is to incorporate media into instruction. I struggled with this decision.  On one hand I thought yes, that is exactly what it does but after reading I now feel like instructional design is a procedure that helps focus the use of instructional media on productivity and learning.