The first example of distributed learning that popped into my head is http://www.pd360.com/. This web site contains online staff development for educators. A second example that I located is Michigan Virtual University and Michigan Virtual School. This would be an example of academic distributed learning. They offer courses for Middle School, High School, and College students through virtual institutions. The third example is the TLT (Teaching, Learning, and Technology) Group. They offer online, distance, and hybrid courses. They are a not-for-profit group that helps college and university educators take advantage of changing technology so they can improve teaching and learning. A fourth example is The University of Wisconsin. They offer hybrid classes where students meet for tradition face-to-face classes but the majority of the instruction is online. The fifth example of distributed learning is Fielding Graduate University. They offer a PhD, EdD, Master’s or just a certificate through their Distributed Learning division. They offer both hybrid and virtual classes.
Since my goal I am trying to achieve is to become a librarian, I have taken several courses on library topics. I would have to pick my cataloging class as the one with the least reusability. The course seemed like it was outdated when I took it and did not feature many of the cataloging aspects that are available online. The course can be redesigned by teaching the same concepts but pulling in more technology. The information taught definitely needs to be learned to succeed in a library but the cataloging was much more difficult because we used outdated methods of finding information.
I am combining the visual for rich media with the discussion on nanotechnology. The graphic could be used in a high school course to help describe nanotechnology. On the surface there are graphics and words. Functionally, the visual gives factual information comparing the size of different objects to nanometers. After reading and doing some research on nanotechnology, I realized that I already use it in my classroom today. I use an iPod for my reading center. The iPod is a very small device that holds a very large amount of information. In my reading center, I have an iPod touch that is loading with audio of stories and the books that go with them. The students can grab a book, find the matching one on the iPod, and they are ready to go.
When comparing the two points of view on the direction of the field, I would have to agree with the broad and inclusive road. Each student learns in their own way and I do not want to limit them to the straight and narrow road. Students need to use their critical thinking skills and what they have previously learned to work out problems. Technology is changing so quickly that I think you need to think broadly and incorporate ideas that may seem “out of the box”.
I went to http://www.jobtarget.com/ and searched for library jobs in Texas. The first job I found that I was interested in was a posting for a librarian in Round Rock ISD. The skills were not listed but the following were given as duties and responsibilities. Supervise and manage the school library media center. Provide services and resources that allow students to develop skills in locating, evaluating, synthesizing and using information to solve problems. Serve as teacher, materials expert, and curriculum adviser to involve the library media center in the instructional programs of the school. They are looking for someone with a Master of Library and Information Science degree and at least five years of teaching experience. When I graduate in May I will meet the requirements for the job. Corsicana ISD is also looking for a certified librarian. The skills listed for this position are a knowledge of library science, ability to instruct and manage student behavior, and strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. They require two years of experience in a library/media center setting in a public school setting. This would be a good position but since I do not have experience in a library, there is no point in applying for it. The third position that I looked at was for a Library Assistant in Odessa. The skills required for this position are a proficiency with keyboarding and file maintenance, ability to file books following district cataloging system, effective communication and interpersonal skills, and an ability to work well with students. I would over qualified for this position but it would be a good starting point to get my foot in the door in a school system.
For my self-assessment I went to http://www.careeronestop.org/. The Ability Profiler that I found on that site had to be administered by another individual. I went to google and searched self-assessments and found the online version of the assessment at http://www.iseek.org/careers/skillsAssessment. According to this self-assessment, the best job match for me is vocational education teacher at the postsecondary level. That is a big difference from my current job of teaching first grade. At least I know the profession is correct, even though the grade level is way off. The other career that matched up with my profile was general and operations managers. My career goal is to become a public school librarian. In some ways, that falls under both teacher and management. I guess I am headed down the correct path, even if my aim is with children instead of postsecondary adults.
The first professional organization that I whose website I visited was AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology). I chose this organization because it was one that I had heard of before. The website is http://www.aect.org/. AECT defines itself as “an international professional association dedicated to providing leadership in educational communications and technology by linking professionals holding a common interest is the use of technology and its application to the learning process.” Membership costs range from $75.00 for a student to $400.00 for a corporate membership. AECT offers its members ETR&D (Educational Technology Research and Development) and TechTrends as journals. They also offer The International Journal of Designs for Learning and Journal of Applied Instructional Design as online journals. Many other publications are offered at a discount for AECT members. The 2011 AECT International Convention was held in Florida during November. They will be holding the 2012 Research Symposia during July in Kentucky. Their website is difficult to navigate and I was not able to determine what types of professional development was offered. The second professional organization that I checked out was ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). This is another organization that I had heard of before but was not very familiar with. The website for this ISTE is http://iste.org/. In the United States, memberships range from $39.00 for a student to $291.00 for a premium membership. ISTE publishes Learning & Leading with Technology, Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE), Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education (JDLTE), and Journal for Computing Teachers (JCT). Some of the professional development offered by ISTE is The NETS Leadership Academy, ISTE webinars, and a NETS aligned graduate-certificate. ISTE 2012 will be held in San Diego. The following video is for the convention.
Most of the journals that I have read during my term in graduated school have been related to the library science field or were just an article that was found using the ebsco databases. The first journal that I visited was T.H.E. Journal found at http://www.thejournal.com/. This was the first journal to cover educational technology. THE Journal is offered both online and in print. I did not find any evidence of it being peer reviewed. According to their website, “THE Journal is dedicated to informing and educating K-12 senior-level district and school administrators, technologists, and tech-savvy educators within districts, schools, and classrooms to improve and advance the learning process through the use of technology.” This website contains so much information that I was not able to find the submission guidelines. I did find a calendar and was able to determine that pitches for articles needed to be made approximately four months before the issue date. The second journal that I looked at was Learning and Instruction. This journal is peer reviewed and is available online. Learning and Instruction is an international, multi-disciplinary journal that provides a platform for the publication of the most advanced high-quality research in the areas of learning, development, instruction and teaching. I was not able to get to the submission information with being a member of Earli and signing into the submissions area of the site. I think that joining professional organizations and reading professional journals are very important in my career. Technology changes so quickly now and reading these journals is the best way to keep up with current technology and finding out what has been successfully used by others in the same field.
If I was responsible for identifying the domains, competencies, and performance statements for a performance technologist, I would include design, development, utilization, and management because a performance technologist must be able to design instructional systems, develop the system into a usable model, utilize it and train others on it, and then continue to manage the system while it is in use. The competencies would be to determine the project that is appropriate for the performance area, write statements about learner outcome, utilize media and technology in training, and monitor instructional development programs. The performance statement would be that the performance technologists must be able to determine the need, train and assist workers with the use of technology, stay current with research, and monitor projects that are currently in use.
Rapid prototyping can be used in education in many ways. As I read several different articles about rapid prototyping, I realized that the project that I mentioned in my last blog is a form of rapid prototyping. I am using their prototype in my classroom as I assess the needs and analyze the content provided by The Electric Company. I am supplying feedback to the creators of the prototype so they can continue to improve the final product. The rapid prototype that I am currently working with is a database. I found a slideshare presentation about rapid prototyping that uses an airplane as an example of a rapid prototype. It is very informative to watch.
When using the Full Spectrum of training products several things need to be considered. The rank/capability of the learners, the skill level of the learners, and the environment in which they are in all must be considered when planning the training. The training usually begins when the learners are in a classroom setting and there is plenty of technology available. As the learners transfer out of the classroom and onto the bases, technology is not as easily accessible. It only gets worse as the learners are deployed to different areas of the world. I would suggest the same alternatives as what are mentioned in the textbook. The Marine Corps is placing Deployable Learning Resource Centers so that the deployed soldiers and personnel can have access to the network so that can continue to be trained using the courseware provided by the Marine Corp.
Since I work in a school district where one of the campuses is in Stage 3 of school improvement, I think that we need a radical educational change. I think the best staff development activity that would introduce both methodologies to my colleagues would be a power point presentation introducing both the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology and the GSTE. Slides would be created showing how the two are similar and how they are different, as well as the pros and cons of each one. Each phase will be presented and we would discuss if a radical change is what the district really needs. Before presenting the staff development to my colleagues, I would discuss it in great length with the administrators. Either of these plans would have to start at the top and work their way down. I like the way that with the SUTE method the Strategic Leadership Team is appointed by their peers, not the superintendent.
The first university office for faculty development that I researched was the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development at Michigan State University (http://fod.msu.edu/). It is under the Office of the Provost. They are divided into two separate strands: Faculty and Instructional Development and Organizational and Leadership Development. They offer a wide variety of seminars and workshops for both strands. They also offer cohort programs, co-sponsored opportunities, consultation/services for instructors and for academic leaders, and several different orientations to fit the needs of all new faculty. They also offer on-demand online seminars for the faculty. At Harvard (http://www.faculty.harvard.edu/) they have Faculty Development and Diversity. It is led by the Office of the Senior Vice Provost. They offer a New Ladder Faculty Institute each year as an orientation for new faculty. They have an area on their website (Teaching and Advising) that contains resources for their faculty. The programs and services that they offer are not as easily located as on the MSI site. Fayetteville State University (http://www.uncfsu.edu/facultydevelopment/) features the Office of Faculty Development. They offer many services to its faculty including workshops, consulting services, classroom observation (by request), and a lecture series. They also help with curriculum and instructional development.
