Ideas Shine Through

As a science teacher, I spend much of my time teaching the process of the scientific method. Granted there is really no one right way to approach the scientific method, there is an order to the process according to Fraenkel and Wallen (2009):

• "Identify a problem which is disturbing our lives.
• Defining the problem more clearly.
• Gathering information to help solve the problem (Research or Experimentation).
• Organize and analyze the information collected.
• Interpret and make a conclusion." (pg. 6)
  

This way of thinking and processing problems is the core of who I am. I now realize to become an excellent educational technologist you must have a good foundation in the scientific process.

When I first enrolled in the educational technology program at San Diego State University, I was not sure what to expect. I thought educational technology focused on integration of multimedia technology into current curriculum in education. However I found the program focused on problem solving using the scientific method. We were asked as educational technologists to collect and analyze data to determine the best course of action to solve a problem.

This is where the first part of the ADDIE model shines through...analysis. Performance analysis is one of the most valuable features of problem solving because it focuses on data to drive the decision making process. Rossett (2009) states,"performance analysis is critical because it is the process that enables us to provide data-driven advice about performance" (p. 19).

My first experience with analysis started in EDTEC 540 with Dr. Jim Marshall. We were asked to create a job aid for an issue at our work site. We were not simply to create a job aid without the collection of data to focus on solving the problem. From this point on I recognized the importance of analysis. To further the use of analysis, in ED 795A with Dr. Macie Bober-Michel, I was required to work in a group, with a client, to analyze a problem. We were able to develop a solution for the client only after we had conducted a performance analysis. The use of performance analysis is what saves many hours of poorly designed training which may not be necessary. It analyzes the issues between optimals and actuals, saving time, money, and resources.

The next idea shining through for me is writing clear objectives. I had spent time during my credential program at San Diego State University learning how to use the proper "action" words to incorporate into my objectives. The key for objective writing was simple back then, make sure it focused on the right level of Bloom's Taxonomy. I did not realize that objectives needed to be measureable. Through the use of the ABCD's of objective writing as discussed by Dr. Jim Marshall:

• Audience
• Behavior
• Condition
• Degree (Criterion)

The significance of writing good objectives unfolded during EDTEC 544 with Dr. T.J. Kopcha. I created a complete instructional package for the rollout of a new program for formative assessment creation and analysis. To give me direction I performed a task analysis to determine the skills learner's would need to use the program to its fullest. The process of writing objectives using the ABCD method focused my attention on creating items which are measureable.

This has translated to my own teaching in my classroom. For years I have written vague and often immeasurable objectives for my students. This made it difficult to write assessments to determine if a student truly "understood" the material presented. I have also taken on the challenge of writing objectives based upon the California State standards in Chemistry. The standards for Chemistry are written as goals and are very difficult to measure. I performed a task analysis to create "measureable" objectives to meet the standards for Chemistry. This has focused my teaching of the content and given students a road map for the course.

The final idea which shines through is the use of e-learning. As a student in the educational technology program, I am amazed by the use of computer media such as Blackboard, Wimba, Adobe Connect, and Moodle to disseminate information and allow for collaboration and instruction. I believe that e-learning is going to be the most important educational movement for the 21st century.

The idea of students being able to control their education and tailor instruction based upon their assessments will allow them to move at their own pace and be more successful. Creating an interactive model of learning will increase motivation for those students who find it difficult to be motivated. Student will be able to interact with each other on the Internet through blogs, wikis, Facebook, and other online mediums to keep in contact and share ideas. One of the most intriguing meta-analysis of online learning described how the blended model classroom is the best environment for college students to learn (United States Department of Education, 2009). I feel this would translate to high school and middle school students and increase student retention. This may allow students to move at a faster pace through the curriculum. Since starting the program I have started using Blackboard to allow students to discuss homework questions, take formative assessments with immediate feedback, have access to notes, and other resources. I have seen more students succeed this year in chemistry because of the resources available. Next year I plan to incorporate Adobe Captivate lectures to give students opportunity to remediate their content knowledge.

Love

So why is it that I love performance analysis, writing objectives, and e-learning? Why would these items shine through and make me feel as though they "complete" me as an educational technologist?

Performance Analysis

Performance analysis is one of the most important aspects of educational technology. The human race is a very curious society. People are always coming up with questions and want answers. This is no different in education or the private sector. As a science educator, I am always curious as to why certain students are very successful in chemistry while others struggle with every fiber of their being. Performance analysis is the tool to solve the problem. I can spend time collecting information about each student and narrowly defining the problem for the class or the individual student. For me, it is all about drawing conclusions from the data. Performance analysis is taking the data and determining what it is saying about the issue.

Making informed decisions is the best practice to increase success and focusing attention on the optimals versus the actual. Performance analysis keeps me on my toes as an educational technologist, ensuring I am refining and looking at the problem from all angles. It allows me to think outside of the box and look at other factors which can contribute to the problem no matter how abstract.

There is an innate need for human beings to be successful when they perform a job or a task. If I can figure out the reason(s) for the "gap" between optimals and actuals, I can bring every student up to speed on the task which needs to be performed. Good performance analysis allows for everyone's success, and with success there is motivation to want to achieve.

Objectives

Who does not want to know exactly the desired outcome from a learning experience? I love writing objectives because it clearly defines the expectations for the learner. According to Mager (1997) states that objectives are useful for:

• "A sound basis for selection of instructional material and procedures,
• Room for instructor creativity and ingenuity,
• Measureable instructional results,
• Tool for guiding student efforts,
• A basis for realizing instructional efficiency." (pg. 19)

Writing objectives focuses my attention on the most important items to be assessed and examined to reach the goal of the lesson or training. It drives me to distill information to a clear and concise form of matter which is easily digestible to the learner.

Presenting a lesson without objectives is like driving on a road with no road signs. If you do not have the direction or focus, you will not be able to make it to your destination.

The final piece of love for writing objectives focuses on their ability to be measurable. I enjoy writing assessments when I have written objectives, because the questions write themselves. If the objective is truly "measurable" then the question for an assessment has been written and simply needs to be changed into the form of a question.

E-Learning

I am attracted to e-learning because of the vast possibilities it holds for the student. To have a media rich environment in which the information is presented increases the motivation of the learner to use the interface often. With Keller's ARCS model, motivation is the focus and e-learning is the way to help increase this motivational factor. Tailoring education to the student will make them want more and desire to return again and again.

Using modes of e-learning such as real-time lecture using AdobeConnect, a Blog to interact with students and their peers, or podcasts to keep student engaged makes me see education as an ever changing environment. E-Learning makes the classroom mobile and flexible for the learner. This is what makes it so amazing! Those students, who said they were just not into school, could be motivated to use e-learning because it works on their terms.

Change

The field of educational technology is always changing. The difficulty will be staying up-to-date on the materials within this broad realm of education. If I were to use my crystal ball to look into the future to determine how my loves in educational technology might change or perceptions of these loves, I only see minor changes for performance analysis and objective writing. However I see major changes to e-learning.

I see performance analysis as a tool which will become easier to accomplish with the ability to process large quantities of data faster and more efficiently. With increased use of data collection with computers there will be more information to use to inform decisions. I think this will impact high stakes exam administered by the state. The high stake exams are performance indicators for teachers to make changes to their instruction to narrow the gap between optimals and actuals. This is what administrators and teachers will be focusing on more and more.

As for writing objectives, I see this flourishing in the world of education. With the reform of standards across all subject areas in education and the adoption of the English and Mathematics standards for 48 states, a very clear and concise list of requirements for all students will evolve. This would eliminate any ambiguity within the education system and from state to state as to what a 10th grader should know about the English language. This will also increase the likelihood that state assessments will truly measure how much a student knows and understands about a specific subject. It will focus the teacher’s intent of the lesson and increase success in the classroom. However it will take a very large initiative to determine these objectives and will probably rest squarely on the shoulders of the teachers in the classroom. These teachers will need to be taught the skills of breaking down the Standards into measurable objectives by using task analysis. This is a skill most special education teachers use when writing goals and objectives, but not pushed in the regular education.

E-learning will make the biggest strides in education. The number of virtual schools for the K-12 world is increasing rapidly across the United States. These programs make it so students can learn at their own pace and also recover units missing in order to meet minimum graduation requirements. Along with these new virtual schools, teachers are going to increase the use of blended learning (online and face-to-face instruction). More teachers will have materials posted online such as notes, homework assignments, recorded lectures, etc. The interactivity will not stop with just the use of a computer, but migrate to cellular phones. Cellular phones will be the next step for getting information to students and allowing them to learn on the go. This is where I see the changes occurring and I am going to be a part of this change.

Works Cited

Fraenkel, Jack R. and Wallen, Norman E. (2009). How to Dsign and Evaluate Research in Education. New York, New York: McGraw Hill.

Mager, Robert F. (1997). Preparing Instuctional Objectives. Atlanta, Georgia: CEP Press.

United States Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online-Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

Rossett, Allison. (2009). First Things Fast: A Handbook for Performance Analysis (2nd Edition). San Francisco, California: Pfeiffer.