Module 6 Blog Responses

I commented and posted to the following blogs in Module 6:

Rebecca Owens 

https://moonsprite1031.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/module-6-learning-in-a-digital-world-rebecca-owens/#comment-67  

Lakeisha Coleman 

http://educ8845lc.blogspot.com/2011/05/module-6-learning-in-digital-world.html?showComment=1306598024803#c6200366215505422081

v/r

Sullus

Learning in a Digital World Module 6

I believe learning must be meaningful in order to engage learners which follows the Meaningful Reception Learning Theory (Driscoll, 2008, p. 418). Learners want to obtain knowledge when they feel the knowledge will be essential or beneficial later in their career. Technology has given instructional designers and educators the ability to use various tools to engage learners.  Learners may be engage by asking open-ended questions that will generate discussion where learners can share experiences of how they transferred previous knowledge to accomplish a task. Instructional designers must realize that technology enables learners to use interactive tools such as blogs, SKYPE, Wikis, and discussion boards as part of online learning.

My personal theory of learning builds upon multiple theories and principles. The non-negotiable in teaching and learning factor are:

• Instructional material must be designed to accommodate the effects of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) which states the “visual/pictorial and auditory/verbal channel in working memory are extremely limited so a few items can be held or manipulated in each channel at one time” (Mayer, 2005, p. 170). A way to compensate for the effects of CTML is to use segmenting , pretraining and modality principles. The memory overload can be curtailed with modularity.
• The Four-Component Instructional Design (4C-ID) must be followed for complex tasks with includes learners task, supportive information, procedural information, and part-task practice (Mayer, 2005, p. 71).
• Learning must followed the multimedia principle which requires pictures and word instead of only words.

References

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Mayer, R. (2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Module 5 Blog Responses

I commented and posted to the following blogs in Module 5:

Jasmine Turner

http://aspirestar.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-technologies.html?showComment=1305417415007#c874018128284410908

Kathi Middleton

http://klmiddleton.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-technologies.html?showComment=1305421485273#c8308237090147894992

New Technologies

Instructors are required to have personal student information, student qualifications, and certification data on their students. The organization was composed of mid-career and veterans in the profession as well as the organization. The technology challenge was getting the instructors to see the importance of using a database for inputting information about their personnel so they could retrieve and report information quickly. Many instructors had students to fill out a paper copy of an information sheet that was later store in a filing system. As the Division Chief and Senior Instructor, I was challenge with motivating the instructors to use a database. The instructor’s self-efficacy was low on the use of databases and did not want to be embarrassed. I volunteered to teach the instructors how to construct and use a database.
 

Attention: I gained the instructors attention by showing a two minute video of a higher echelon Commander requesting information from his Executive Officer that was the same information contained in their student data sheets. The Commander requested several elements of information from the Executive Officer that required the calculating the number of personnel, marital status, number of children,  age of students with qualification, and students with certain master qualifications. The Executive Officer compiled the information and sent the information electronically to the Commander within one minute. The instructors realize retrieving their hard copy files would consume more than one minute.

Relevance: The instructors would be motivated by visualizing how they can use a database to reach personal goals and better benefit the organization. I would follow the ARCS model by “providing statement of utility along with the goals of instruction, or helping learners to define their own goals and statement of utility” (Driscoll, 2005, p. 335).

Confidence: I would explain to the instructors the expectations and requirements. I would use module to teach the procedures to break the topic in to small and manageable sections. I would give more requirement as the instructor’s progress through the training and become confidence with the completion of modules.

Satisfaction: I would give the instructors certificates of completion for successfully completing the training. I would request information from the instructor that required the retrieval of information from the student data records quickly. The ability to quickly provide the information to me would be satisfaction to the instructors using the newly acquired database skills.

Reference

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.