Final Reflection - Week 8

First off, I want to thank all of my peers for making this class a wonderful experience.  It was great to have such rich dialogue through our discussion posts.  I always learn so much from the other students in class.  I also wanted to take the time to thank you Dr. Weaver.  You are such a great facilitator and you gave us some great assignments that really helped me validate my knowledge regarding the learning process.

There were many great lessons covered over the past eight weeks.  One particular topic that was fairly new to me was how punishment affects a student’s ability to learn.  I always thought that when given correctly, that punishment would suppress certain problems whether it is a behavioral problem or engagement and responsibility problems.  Our text states, “this suppression effect is often only temporary” (Gredler, Ormrod & Schunk, 2009, p. 150).  Now I am thinking that punishment may not give me the best bang for the buck.  I am now considering using positive reinforcement more often than punishment tactics.  So I am eager to apply this new strategy and begin moving away from punishment as a means to an end.

As far as learning more about my own learning style or process, there have not been any major breakthroughs.  I have been comfortable with my own learning style for years and I am confident that it has served me and will continue to serve me well.  If anything, learning about other types of learning styles has reinforced my attachment to my own, hands-on and visual learning style.  Unless there is some major breakthrough that leads me to believe that another learning style might benefit me more, I feel good about where I am.

Our most recent chapter on motivation really hit home with me.  I am always looking for different ways to use motivation in and out of the classroom.  I have realized the power of motivation for years and I value its importance in the realm of education and instructional design.  Motivation “influences the extent to which an individual is likely to engage in a certain activity intensively and vigorously or half-heartedly and lackadaisically” (Gredler, Ormrod & Schunk, 2009, p. 225).  I especially value motivation when it comes to using technology in the classroom.  There have been times when I have seen many adult learners faced with their own fears of using any piece of technological equipment.  Their fear keeps them from learning anything new and sometimes closes the door to learning altogether.  I have learned from experience that if I can show intimidated staff member how computers can aide them in their roles at work, I will have won a major battle.  If I can just show them one nugget or trick that would help them get closer to using a computer then I feel good about it.  In my experience, just getting them excited about one small accomplishment can leave them wanting more.  I also further this motivation by letting them know that I am a constant resource for them and that I am able and willing to help them in any way possible.  As a standard procedure, I always make sure that my students have my office, cell and fax numbers as well as email address just so they know they can count on me to be there for them if they have a hesitation or question.  I truly feel good about using motivation to spark learning.  I hope to continue to learn more about this powerful tool as time allows.

This course has already helped me further my career in my role as an instructional designer.  In a staff meeting recently, I was able to share some of my class work on motivation with my peers.  They felt that it was such a worthwhile topic that they have asked me to develop a small training course just on the power of motivation and how we can use it more at work.  Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity.  Another way that this class has helped me is that I am more excited now than ever to be a part of the educational and instructional design field.  “Our ability to think about and evaluate ourselves enables us to further develop and refine our self-concept” (Dobkin and Pace, 2006, p. 54).  My self-awareness and self-esteem could not be any higher and I am going to use my energy to help others realize their own potential.

In retrospect, I have nothing bad or negative to say about this class.  The content, my peers and the administrative leadership were outstanding!  I am excited about what the future holds for the field of instructional design.  I find myself eager to be on the cutting edge of technology so that I am ready for anything coming my way.  With my continued efforts and desire to know more, I will be a top performer in the field of instructional design and technology.  I will also continue to impart my excitement and knowledge to others around me because together, we can always achieve more! 

References

Dobkin, B.A., and Pace, R.C. (2006) Communications in a Changing World (2^nd Ed).  Boston:  McGraw-Hill

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

Week #7 Blog Assignment

Unfortunately, I am a creature of habit.  Although I am flexible enough to make changes when I need to, I prefer to go with what always works in most cases.  For this week’s blog assignment, I struggled to find a small nugget of deviance from my pre-existing learning style.  I looked and looked but there were no nuggets to be found.  In short, I am still a very visual and hands on learner.  Whether at work or at home, I am constantly using my hands for work, learning and communication.  Still to this day, I purposely choose not to give in to auditory learning.  For example, I had an opportunity to sit in on a webinar this past week at work.  This was going to be a very interesting talk on new ways to engage an audience while presenting.  I was really looking forward to the webinar.  I walked in and took my seat.  A few minutes past the webinar start time, the participants were told that there was a problem with the webinar host and that we would only have audio through our speakerphone.  So in short, the visual aspect of the learning experience was not going to happen.  So I sat in on the first five minutes of the auditory webinar and I got up and left.  I just could not get engaged or excited about the information because I did not have any visuals to stimulate my learning process.

I do have a greater sense of excitement towards e-learning.  I am fascinated by all the potential that e-learning opportunities have to offer.  “With the advent of e-learning, there is a lot more mixing of delivery formats going on” (Piskurich, 2006, p. 155).  The realm of e-learning is wide open and ready for the challenges that are ahead of us.  Through e-learning, students can learn from a wide variety of delivery instruments such as webcasts, module based training and more.  The challenge is to make the e-learning opportunities appropriate for each individual situation.  We do not need to have a one size fits all mentality.

More than anything else, I have a greater sense of confidence or self-efficacy.  Self-efficacy is “an individual’s belief about his or her capabilities for success” (Bohlin, Durwin, Reese-Weber, 2009, p. 180).  I use to worry that my visual learning preference and style might peg me into a hole where I would be missing out on something better.  I no longer feel that way.  Through some self reflection, I have determined that my learning style has been with me since early on in life and it has not steered me wrong yet.  I have begun to think that maybe I am not missing out on something better.  Maybe my learning style suits me the best and will continue to do so in the future.

In conclusion, I still view my experiences as a strong component of my learning process.  The learning theory of empiricism still holds true in my life (Ertmer and Newby, 1993).  The learning opportunities that mean the most to me are the ones that are rich and full of experiences that link back to my professional or personal life.  It is experiences that drive me to want more out of life.  Technology also has an important role in my learning process and instructional design methods.  By creating learning experiences that incorporate technology in some way, I am paving the way for greater understanding of 21^st-century technology.  I am making students more equipped for their futures as adult learners and their success in society as a whole.  I look forward to what my future brings and what I can add to the futures of other people as well.

References

Bohlin, L., Durwin, C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2009). EdPsych. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4),50-71.

Piskurich, G. M. (2006). Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Connectivism Reflection for Week 5

I truly believe that I am a sum of all my parts.  Although my mom and close relatives have had a huge impact in my life, it is my multiple life experiences and connections that have molded me into the man I am today.  Our cultural identity "gives us a set of beliefs and assumptions that guide how we view the whorl" (Dobkin and Pace, 2006, p. 45).  The culture that I have around me greatly influences my view on the world around me.  Who I believe I am matters to me and thus I have created a valuable network of connections that keeps me in check, guides how I proceed in life and motivates me to do more.

"Motivation often determines whether and to what extent we actually learn" (Ormrod, Schunk and Gredler, 2009, p. 224).  My network of connections helps to keep me motivated by staying connected with the latest news and updates.  My network is my library of resources that I can go to to ask questions.  When I ask questions, I seem to get several different responses that cover multiple aspects.  Instead of having just one source to go to, I have multiple sources to pull information and guidance from.  For example, if I go to Facebook and create a post asking my friends advice on a topic, I immediately receive multiple answers that range from crazy to very applicable.

My personal learning network supports the central tenets of connectivism by just being there for me.  The fact that I have such a great network of resources around me supports the idea that connectivism still has authority in our learning process.  In short, my connections make me a better learner because I have a diverse group of connections.  If I asked a question to one person and only got their advice or level of experience, I might be cheating myself out of other experiences that my network my be able to deliver to me.  Part of my job is staying connected to my connections.  I must always be there for them as well.  I must reach out and keep the social ties alive and well so that when I need them, they are there for me.



References


Dobkin, B.A., and Pace, R.C. (2006) Communications in a Changing World (2nd Ed). Boston:    McGraw-Hill

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction

(Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

Connectivism

Week #2 Application: 2 Additional Resources

I have found two additional resources this week that shed more light on the topic of the brain and learning.  The first article I found was written by Fara Green.  The very first statement of this article says it all.  "Teachers and administrators face enormous challenges to effectively prepare all students for a technological and global society" (Fara, 1999, p. 682).  Just stop and think for a moment about how much technology has changes the face of the entire globe.  Almost every facet of our lives has been altered by some for of technology.  The way that people learn has even taken a new shape within the past few decades.  "Each student processes and absorbs new information in a different way" (Fara, 1999, p. 684).  This article dances around the different aspects of learning styles.  For me, the information within this article has validated some of the information obtained from other classes at Walden University.

The second article was written by Robert Sylwester.  This article takes a look at the study of the brain and how technology has expedited some of the traditional brain tests. "Scientists who us brain imaging technology now need only a few hours to gather some types of data from a normal human brain that formerly took 20 years of inferential laboratory work with nonhuman primates" (Sylwester, 1993, p. 46).  In other words, scientists are able to provide educators and instructional designers with vital information quicker than ever before.  We are able to take the information and translate it into a more effective teaching method that has a greater impact on students.



References

Fara, R. G. (1999). Brain and learning research: Implications for meeting the needs of diverse learners. Education, 119(4), 682-687+. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196424120?accountid=14872

Sylwester, R. (1993). What the biology of the brain tells us about learning. Educational Leadership, 51(4), 46-46. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224850413?accountid=14872

Week 1 Application - Instructional Design Blogs

Instructional Design Blogs

Throughout the past ten years, I have visited blogs for many different reasons.  Sometimes I have just wanted a bit of entertainment and sometimes I have wanted to have a robust conversation on a current topic.  The cool aspect of blogs is that there are as many different blogs in existence as there are stars in the sky.  So no matter what field of study I find myself in, I know that I can find a blog that speaks to me.  For this week’s blog entry, I have found three different blogs that relate to the field of instructional design.  The three blogs I chose are the Rapid E-Learning Blog, Instructional Design Fusions, and Reflections on Learning Success.  Each of these blogs has something to give, allow me to explain what we can gain from them.

The Rapid E-Learning Blog is very user friendly.  The graphics and layout of the blog suits me very well.  I tend to like clear and consistent modes of design and communication and this blog delivers both of those components.  The more important of these two components is clear communication.  “Communication can be defined as the process of creating and sharing meaning through the use of symbols” (Dobkin and Pace, 2006, p. 7).  This blog clearly communicates the various topics related to e-learning.  E-learning is the wave of the future and staying up to date on the trends is paramount to any instructional designer.  I feel that this blog will help keep me in touch with current development in e-learning.  I would be able to visit this blog at any point and gain some bit of knowledge and that is very convenient!  This blog can be accessed at http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/instructional-design/

Instructional Design Fusions is a blog that concerns itself with the blending of new technologies with the realm of instructional design and e-learning.  I can state with authority that the field of instructional design may look totally different within the next ten years.  With the rate of advancing technology changing before our eyes, we will have to keep up or be left behind.  It is very important for any instructional designer to feel comfortable with all modes of technology and I believe that this blog will help me stay in touch with this important skillset.  This blog can be accessed at http://instructionaldesignfusions.wordpress.com

The last of the three blogs that I previewed this week is Reflections on Learning Success.  This blog is written by Dr. Joel Gardner, a Program Chair of the Instructional Design and Performance Technology Program at Franklin University.  Dr. Gardner has many years of experience as an instructional designer and I feel as if he has some great information to pass along.  Dr. Gardner has also written articles on effective instructional design.  I feel as if I can become a better instructional designer by tapping into his knowledge.  This blog can be accessed at http://joelleegardner.blogspot.com

In conclusion, I feel as if these three blogs will help add to my knowledge base and understanding of the field of instructional design.  As our course text states, “society cannot risk leaving the acquisition of learning to chance” (Ormrod, Schunk and Gredler, 2009, p. 2).  As humans, we owe it to our future to be the best learners we can be.  We cannot sit on the sidelines and hope we pick up some nugget of knowledge by chance.  We have to be an active teacher and student in the game of life.  As an instructional designer, I have the opportunity and responsibility to make the most of any learning opportunity.  This is a task that I take seriously and I will not accept failure.

References

Dobkin, B.A., and Pace, R.C. (2006) Communications in a Changing World (2^nd Ed).  Boston: McGraw-Hill

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.