New Directions in IDT

Section VIII adresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. From the 3 you selected, reflect on how you might apply them in your current or future position in the IDT field. What learning goals or objectives could the technologies you selected help learners foster? Could the technology facilitate attainment of that learning goal better than traditional instruction? Why or why not?

Currently in my classroom I use e-learning environments, learning objects, and rich media. As in every case there is always room for improvement and learning new techniques. Below are the three technologies I focused on for this weeks discussion:

E-learning Environments 
Since my class is a technology based class, our classroom environment has been fostered around a program called Schoology. In Schoology, I have created an open forum for students to form discussion forums, respond to questions, turn in work, and take exams. A favored benefit of this program is the availability of it. It fosters much like my online masters program classes. Students have undeniable access outside of site construction issues. Another upside to using this program is that I can grade work or the program can grade work and that grade is transported to an online grade book. This grade book aligns with our campus grade book so my students have an up-to-date grade instead of waiting till progress reports/progress reports. In using Schoology, I can provide my students information easier and efficiently. 

Reusable Design or Learning Objects 
This year our district has incorporated Google Drive. This tool has been so beneficial to my class because it allows for my students to have so many resources at their fingertips. Students can keep their work in one central location and never have to worry about having to have a usb. Google Drive is somewhat of a online usb, but also allows for users to create documents. The documents format is ideally like Microsoft. You can create a document (word), presentation (powerpoint), or spreasheet (excel).This is also a good area for my students to collaborate on work. When we begin group projects students can give access to others and this allows for real-time editing of all member. This application is interchangeable because it does not require much instruction due to its relevance to other programs used in class. 

Rich Media 
Rich Media is crucial in my classroom. When I first began teaching I had a lot of teacher led instruction. I was just beginning so I was working off of how school was for me....WRONG WRONG WRONG! Not only did I realize that I would have a hard time learning what I was teaching, my students were struggling even more. I realized I needed to put myself in my students shoes. By incorporating video, animation, and visuals my classroom involvement and grades dramatically increased. It was like a whole new classroom. As stated in this weeks reading from the book, visuals provide two opportunities to learn: they hear it and then they see it. This allows for more investment in new knowledge. Especially in dealing with technology, students need to be able to see it and understand how it works. At the beginning of my class my students begin with, "Mrs. Martin, this whachta-ma-call-it is broken" and transition to using the correct terminology after they complete their internet scavenger hunt assignment. I always hear during that assignment, "Oh, I knew what that was!"

By incorporating e-learning environments, learning objects, and rich media, they facilitate attainment of learning goals better than traditional instruction. Lets face it, it takes a lot for students to learn. It has to be meaningful and inclusive to them. The best way I have found for my students to learn is letting them interactive with new information and allowing them to be hands-on. This really allows them to put two and two together and further understand, rather than listening to a person instruct them on new material while they are off in lala land wondering what they are going to do when they get done with school. 


Section XV focuses on issues related to instructional design, rather than new technologies: professional ethics, diversity and accessibility, the nature of design, and providing instructional guidance. For each of the technologies you selected above, discuss what ethical issues using the technology might present. Does the technology enhance accessibility and accommodate diverse learning needs? How and /or can you design instruction using that technology? How much guidance would instruction with that technology require? What kinds of guidance would be necessary?

In incorporating elearning environments, learning objects, and rich media, I am attempting to differentiate my classroom. This is crucial in connecting with my students and helping to make them successful. When dealing with ethical issues, I need to keep in mind is that I am reaching all members of my classroom. Is material understandable from all types of learning styles. Just because a solution works well for the majority of the class, doesn't mean it will work for all of the class, the main goal is reaching ALL students. I also need to consider is it going to personally help my students in their growth. When finding materials to present to my students on our classroom online, is it fair-use (copyright)? Just as I teach my students to give credit where it is due, I need to model the same. When approaching information that I present, I have to think of all of my students. Am I posting a discussion that my limited english proficiency students can understand. I have worked with a monitored language proficiency student a few years ago and he worked so hard to try and be normal. He wanted nothing more than to fit in, but had a hard time reading certain levels of reading. To solve this problem, I always found some type of youtube video that aided in the material so I could work with him and anyone else in my classroom to build a better understanding. I made the video as a supplement to my classroom, but really geared it towards his needs. When using materials in class, I have to decide what is the overall goal. Sometimes I need the material to be designed to solve a problem so I can advance my students beyond the knowledge level and into the application level. Not everything I present to my students is broaden their knowledge, times I am pushing my students to enhance. As my Father as always said, "It is not the quantity you have, but the quality!" I would rather my students have a deep understanding of limited topics in my class than a base knowledge of a lot of things. This creates a problem when making material meaningful. When discussing topics such as meaningful, you have to consider the gap between your students. You never want material too high or too low. If you are missing this group of students, then students are easy to not be interested. This is why I strategically group students of higher thinking skills with those that may not be on the level they need to be. This allows for minimal guidance from myself because my higher level student is assisting and reiterating learning to a student who is lower. I have incorporated a buddy system in my classroom, where students group up into 2-3 students and view the same material, but have talk time about the topic. This builds knowledge because interpretations of all students are heard. In my classroom, I really lean on technology to aide the learning process. On many occasions I try to give information written, video, and step-by-step with pictures. This way I can reach everyone while getting the same message across. 

E-learning environments, learning objects, and rich media are incorporated in my classroom from day 1 and utilized almost everyday. By incorporating Schoology at the beginning and using it daily, there leaves little room during the year to issues with user involvement. The learning objects I mentioned above, Google Drive, give little guidance because it is something they have used almost their entire school time, Microsoft Office. Rich media is incorporated into our e-learning environments and Google Drive to differentiate instruction and build meaning to lessons being taught.