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Demonstrates understanding of various theories and concepts that inform the practice of instructional design and learning technologies (ID<).
Through my experience at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville I have had the opportunity to learn of different theories in the Instructional Technology field. In IT500, I read many articles related to the the different theories and practices in this field. Constructivism, authentic assessment, problem based learning, hypermedia and anchored instruction, Human and Computer Interaction (HCI), cognitive, and metacognitive learning are practices and theories in the Instructional Technology field. In one design project I created, I used problem based learning approach. The students were posed with the following problem:
This unit allows the students to solve the problem using a constructivist approach and encourages them to work cooperatively to create line graphs, advertisements, and presentations. The line graphs are created to help connect Math skills with Social Studies and Technology skills. The advertisements gather skills from Language Arts, Social Studies, and Technology. Lastly, the presentations help the students to collaboratively create a final project. The students mist learn how to connect with the task given, respect each others' thoughts, and present their own ideas to others through communication. The students build their knowledge about the topic, then by the end of the project they are able to decide where to take Aunt Geegi. The knowledge is developed throughout the unit. The constructivist approach is also be throughout this unit. The students are solving issues in the real world that can affect them throughout their life. The project concludes with an authentic assessment based on their presentation of the vacation they have planned for Aunt Geegi. The presentation follows a rubric, which helps to guide the students in the assessment process. Anchored instruction is used in conjunction with other methods throughout the unit. The students use what they already know, what they have learned in Social Studies class, and what they have gathered throughout the unit to build the final presentation. They take this already learned knowledge and build upon it.
I chose to design this unit based on the design methods described above because they helped the students the most in particular with this topic. Expecting the students to work together to create a final project based on a real life situation enables them to more fully understand the topic and the purpose for the project. They feel as though this could really happen and they need to make the best decision possible. When I include the use of technology, the students get more involved and can visit the location virtually before actually going there. This way they can decide if this is somewhere they may really want to go. The design of the project expects the students to work independently and collaborative. The teacher becomes the facilitator. The students begin to teach themselves as they follow the instructions and guidance from the teacher. I will continue to create lessons in the field of technology based on the theories I have read about in the program. Understanding the importance and usefulness of the theory enables me to design strong, useful projects based on the theories.
As part of this field, it is important to stay updated on the different theories and practices. Since technology and education have been merging together for years, the focus today is what practices are working with the implementation of technology and what theories prove the usefulness of technology in the classroom. As technology was implemented in the classroom after World War 2 with the use of television and the media, today the use of technologies has improved immensely. Before technology was used for jobs and now students are expected to use technology at school and across the curriculum. The students are expected to know which program to use for particular tasks. In addition, they are not expected to use technology just in technology class, but also in Language Arts, Science, Math, Social Studies, and more. As time progresses so will technology; therefore the various theories will continue to prove the usefulness of technology in the classrooms.