Merlot Site for Instructional Design Model in Action

Here is the link to the web site I created for my Instructional Design and Technology program at American College of Education.

Click here.

It identifies what I believe to be the best learning theory and design model to educate students in this day and age.

Instructional Design and Technology Capstone Original Contribution - Spring 2017

A little over a year ago, I spoke at the 2015 NACEP’s Reaching New Heights Conference in Denver, Colorado, about bridging the gap between secondary education, high school grades 9 - 12, and a post-secondary education, and using industry certification to do that. It was an eye opening experience for me. I was able to communicate with others in both realms of academia on the secondary and post-secondary level, but also with leaders of industry, those who need those students coming out of school, on whatever level, to fill in jobs and work positions in their organizations. I came to the conclusion that there is a disconnect between what academia thinks skills students need to possess when they leave school and businesses and organizations think when they encounter these individuals that are supposed to have these skills. In the fall of 2016, according to The Center for Digital Education, there were 20.5 million students enrolled in post-secondary American institutions, an increase of about 5.2 million people from the fall of 2000. In an effort to learn employable skills that would be viable in a competitive job market, more people have to go back to school. However, post-secondary institutions believed that 72% of the students coming in were ready for the workload that was expected. When employers looked at the people coming out of those institutions of higher learning, only 42% agreed that those people were ready to enter the workforce (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013).  Today’s employers should be collaborating with these colleges so that their graduates have the skills, knowledge and personal responsibility to contribute to a workplace that is dynamic and constantly changing and help companies and organizations thrive and be successful.

Why is there such a large disconnect between schools and businesses that think these people are not ready? Why are the concepts they are learning in schools not translating to the workforce? I think that we have to look at how we are preparing the students coming out of high school for either post-secondary education or the workforce.

Are students not prepared because they have poor academics (reading, writing, and arithmetic?) or because they do not know how to use the digital tools to do the work? I believe that it is the later, that people are expected, coming in to post-secondary education, to use the digital technologies that have been developed with out practice. This should not be the case. 21^st Century skills that are common of communicating, collaborating, critical thinking, and being creative are all concepts that take time to develop and master that I think high school takes for granted. Just because someone was born in years close to the millennial, does not mean they know how to be productive in digital work environment. Web 2.0 tools that are common place in the corporate world and how business and companies operate have to be more than introduced in academia. There needs to be courses that develop a student’s digital literacy at an early age so that those skills, technical in nature, can be instincts.

High school is supposed to prepare students for college or university workloads, and college and universities are supposed to prepare students for the workforce. These three institutions are not always on the same page when it comes to identifying skills that are viable in the workforce for all skill levels. I have been fortunate in my career to see how college and universities, post-secondary educational institutions, see themselves in the development of the workforce. I have also seen how digital technologies play a role in training people to enter the workforce. Industries are telling educators what skills students need to master in order to be successful and prepared for the workforce, why don’t they listen?

Companies are developing assessment tools for academia to use and giving students the opportunity to prove their skills without question. Software companies are providing assessments of their products to use to provide students training and proof that they can use in a real-life setting. For example, software companies that are titans of industry and are some of the most popular productivity tools in their fields use certification exams to give students the proof they can use it in a corporate setting. Companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and Intuit have developed certification exams that demonstrate mastery of a tool used in the work place. This is the most authentic learning opportunity there is possible. Educators talk about the application of concept is the real test if a student has mastered the content. Because of how companies and organizations value their tools, they have to accept the tool builders’ assessment of a person proving they can use it, right? I believe that this question has lead me on my journey to the art of instructional design and its connection to technology.

Instructional design paired with technology is how we are going to train our workforce for future opportunities. Because of the increase in access of connection to the Internet with the development of wireless technologies, there are opportunities presenting themselves that have never been there in the past (Honebin & Sink, 2012). Online learning or e-learning is creating opportunities for education and training in cost effective and a timely manner. Digital technologies give students access to curriculums around the world and can be reproduced cheaply, in mass quantity, after the initial creation. Also, learning can happen almost anywhere, anytime due to the Internet. As the amount of access point’s increase in different areas of the world, the closing of the Digital Divide is happening at a rapid pace.

Instructional design also benefits from the medium of technology because now the creation of engaging course curriculums and learning experiences are easier than ever. Mixing content with multimedia technology creates opportunities for engaging in innovative ways that utilize video, audio, and interactive tools. Trends in technology like virtual reality paired gamification gives content a world in which communication and collaboration can happen in places that might be realistic to get to. Different points in history and geographical locations are possible with technology. Instructional designer are able to create worlds with this type of interaction.

Instructional design has the opportunity to connect local business and organizations to secondary or post-secondary educational institutions with the use of technology. High schools communicating with community colleges, communicating with universities and local businesses to improve employability in the citizens in the area need instructional designers to design course offerings and curriculums to mimic authentic learning and improve the digital literacy and 21^st century skills that is sought after.

Conclusion

            The connections between academia and professional organizations have to be strengthened in order to obtain a competent and skilled workforce. The collaboration between school and business has to go back to the drawing board in order to find out why the big gap between what skills schools are teaching and what skills business needs to thrive. The thought about what skills schools think a student has and what skills businesses think they do are not in the same place. This is where the opportunities for instructional designers to come in and help bridge that gap is. Access to resources and creating learning experiences and assessments for authentic learning is at the most accessible point it has been so far in history. Also using assessment created by captains of industry, certification exams, can also connect school with corporate environments can prove to be good for both parties.

References

National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). School Statistics. Retrieved from  :http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

Honebein, P. C., & Sink, D. L. (2012). The practice of eclectic instructional design. Performance Improvement, 51(10), 26-31.

Reflection on Technology Trends - Instructional Design and Technology

Digital Technology has exploded over the last few years. Technology Trends have impacted many people’s education, professional and personal lives. Educational leaders must embrace the two different perspectives:

• Traditional Learner
• Digital-Age Learner

From a Traditional Perspective

School prepares you for life, but students are passive participants in learning and the learning environment was teacher-centered, direct instruction and subjects are separated, emphasized at different times. 

—  Current Trends

• Mobile Learning
• Social Networking
• Personal Learning Networks (PLNs)
• Augmented Reality (AR)
• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Gamification
• Big Data Analysis 

—  The Perspective From a Traditional Learner

—  What Is Your Opinion on These Digital Trends?

Learning the theory and practice from a book

Trends will fade out and learners will not be prepared for the next new trend

—  Predicting the Future On Digital Trends

—  Benefits of these digital trends:

1. —  They will stick around for a long time
2. —  They cater to different learning styles
3. —  Explosion in digital advancement.
4. —  They are also cost effective and inexpensive.

 

—  Can These Technologies Change Society?

Society will become a more connected place where learners are active and collaborate with each other.

—  How are These Technologies Changing Current and Future?

Motivating and Engaging learning activities

Collaboration and Communication opportunities 

—  How Do These Technologies Fit My Lifestyle?

I am not overly digitally enabled. I do use technology but I do not use it in a collaborate or socializing way. I am more of a voyeur when it comes to technology I am not using it to create for personal projects.

• —  From A Digital Age Perspective
• —  School is just a part of your life
• —  Students are active participants in learning
• —  Student-centered – Teacher facilitates learning
• —  Collaboration and communication with colleagues 

—  From A Digital Age Perspective

1. —School is just a part of your life
2. Students are active participants in learning
3. Student-centered – Teacher facilitates learning
4. —Collaboration and communication with colleagues
5. —Subjects are combined emphasized, connection are made.

—  The Perspective From a Digital-Age Learner

—  What Is Your Opinion on These Digital Trends?

1. —  Engage the learner
2. —  Help learners create, communicate and collaborate with others
3. —  Increase critical thinking ability to get work done.
4. —  Engage the learner with hands on learning activities
5. —  Activities will seem real or life-like.

—  Predicting the Future On Digital Trends

Digital technology will connect more people world-wide

Social Networks are a great way to find people to utilize someone’s strength in a group setting

1. —  Can These Technologies Change Society?
2. —  Digital technology is changing society almost everyday.
3. —  Being connected is a part of life
4. —  Using technology to be connected in more that just physically is commonplace
5. —  How are These Technologies Changing Current and Future?

   Digital technology is changing the way we live

   Professionally and Personally

   
   
   • —  How Do These Technologies Fit My Lifestyle?
   • —  A lot of the digital technology that is created does not fit my lifestyle.
   • —  I personally do not use a lot of social networks
   • —  But  I do use informational sites for data and decision making situations.
   • —  Conclusions – Digital Technology Trends
   The Gap Among Age Groups and Generations?
   
   Different generations grow up with different technologies and learn to use it at a younger which makes it part of their life. Being connected is the next generations resources that will have to use to do work.
   Is It Possible Those Different Age Groups and Generations Can Co-Exsist?
   Yes, the generations use their strengths and what they know to do work, with changing mindsets, they can compliment one another (Scheffel, Drachsler, Stoyanov, & Specht, 2014).
   Conclusion
   Is It Important For Teachers To Understand Traditional And Digital-Age Learners Thinking?
   It is important because teachers must learn to accommodate everyone's learning style or give them the resources to be successful (Clarke, & Nelson, 2013).
   What Strategies Are There To Bridge The Gap?
    By using digital technology and use the tools, For example Web 2.0 tools, they can collaborate and communicate with learners and teachers. 

   —  References

   Clarke, J., & Nelson, K. (2013). Perspectives on learning analytics: Issues and challenges. The   International Journal of First Year in Higher Education, 4(1), 1-8.
   Cuban, Lawrence. (2015). Content vs. Skills in High Schools: 21st Century Arguments Echo 19th Century Conflicts. Retrieved from https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/content-vs-skills-in-high-schools-21st-century-arguments-echo-19th-century-conflicts/
   Dede, Chris. (2009). Comparing Frameworks for “21^st Century Skills”. Harvard Graduate School of Education.
   Scheffel, M., Drachsler, H., Stoyanov, S., & Specht, M. (2014). Quality indicators for learning analytics. Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 117-132.