For my reflection, I chose the three chapters from Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary. I was both fascinated and terrified at the same time. Since becoming an educator nearly 19 years ago, I’ve always been fascinated with the ways which technology can be used in the classroom. In all honesty, I have used it haphazardly at times, not truly understanding whether it would have a positive impact or not. There was definitely a lot of reflective journal writing based on my, often times, experimental use of technology with my learners. Since I had a background in engineering, I would notice a perceived problem and attempt to rectify it…with limited experience, mind you. Even before I had education in language education, it seemed my experience in science had given me the tools for the “cyclical” process of reflection in the classroom, a vital characteristic of improvement. As stated in Chapter 1 of Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary, “Reflective practitioners consider the problems in their environments (e.g., a learning problem of their students) and attempt to resolve the problems by changes in practice, based upon both research results and professional experience. Reflection on this process leads to changes in the considered solution and further attempts to identify and solve problems in the environment, a cyclical process of practice/ reflection that can lead to improved practice (Schön, 1990).” Januszewski & Molenda (2008)
After reading these three chapters, reflective practice appears to be an underlying theme in the field of IT. From the very beginning of the field, there has been constant change and improvement in the field, in the definition of IT, but also in ISD. It’s fascinating how the use of technology in the field has morphed through what I had experienced in my early school years. My has A/V changed! While reading, I recalled my days in elementary school watching reel-to-reel instructional films on the classroom film projector, and in middle school when the teacher would send a friend and me to go to the A/V Center and bring back the TV and VCR she had reserved. I also remember crashing into the walls a couple of times rolling that equipment through the halls…those TV carts were heavy! Little did I realize then the behind-the-scenes efforts to get to that point where we were using these instructional videos in the classroom supplementing the lessons the teacher had spent hours, perhaps days, preparing.
It was also fascinating reading about how the educational technology has evolved from the silent films of the early 1900s to the huge paradigm shift after World War II when, in my opinion, the concept of IT and “instructional films” really began to take shape as stated in Chapter 4, “…the US army commissioned a series of psychological studies, later published as Experiments on Mass Communication which rigorously tested hypothesis about various filmic techniques and their instructional effectiveness. The hypothesis mainly revolved around issues prominent in the Gestalt and cognitive psychology of the time: providing an introduction to provide a mental set for comprehending and remembering the films message; pacing the presentation to suit the audiences cognitive ability; choosing words and images to illustrate points as clearly as possible; controlling the density of visual and aural messages for comprehension; avoiding distracting cues; and using repetition and summaries to enhance retention. Because of the concentration of time, money, effort, and research expended on these productions, a genre of instructional film came into its own.” Molenda & Boling (2008) It was certainly interesting to learn of the efforts and research to determine what makes an instructional film…well…educational.
Clown by Richard Balducci 1968, Presented by Learning Corporation of America
Though fascinating as it was to learn of the evolution of IT, at least, through the complex process involved in the creation and systems design, I was terrified at the prospect of the working through the process. Initially, I was overwhelmed and am still left with the thoughts of how to begin such an endeavor. It terrifies me that the rapid advancement of technology and digital tools will only make our designs much more difficult and complex as was stated in Chapter 4, “Advances in technology have not made planning and producing easier, but more difficult and more labor intensive, with each hour of interactive multimedia instruction requiring 300 person hours of development time.” Molenda and Boling (2008)
However,
though terrifying and flawed as it may seem to some due to being “too slow and
clumsy”, according to Zemke and Rossett, 2002, there is no alternative to ISD at
present. Molenda and Boling (2008)
Needless to say, I’m all in!
References
Januszewski, A., & Molenda, M. (2008). Chapter 1: Definition. In Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (pp. 1-14). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Molenda, M.,
& Boling, E. (2008). Chapter 4: Creating. In Educational
Technology: A Definition with Commentary (pp. 81-139). New York:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
I appreciate your thought process on this. It was easy not so many years ago to decide if a certain educational video was appropriate for a class, and figure out how to use it to its best ability in the class room. Now there are hundreds of titles available for any particular sub-subject, and it gets harder and harder to decide if a particular item is the best for your purposes - without taking many hours out of your time to view all the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteI think it will get better eventually - we will come to a place where each student might be watching a video chosen specifically for them and their needs for a subject. but that is a long way off...
I also found it fascinating how A/V has evolved over the years. I too remember wheeling the TV carts around. As I read this week’s chapters, I also took a pause to reflect on the time and effort that went into creating the videos I watched in K-12. Thinking about the time, effort, planning, and creation of these materials was something I had not considered back then. I mentioned in my blog this week how we are beginning to use XR in our courses. As we have begun this process, we are finding that it takes a lot of time and resources. Not only do you need a subject matter expert, but you also need a coder and in some cases an artist. It will be interesting to see how XR changes IST.
ReplyDeleteLike our other colleagues, I also found the study of how instructional technology has evolved over the years fascinating. I think most of us can relate to your statement about the heaviness of the A/V carts! It is interesting to think about the criteria that were established to create the first "instructional films" and how that criteria might have changed since then. I have worked in instructional design and technology for years, but my current position has a larger focus on media production. I am just beginning to think about these criteria, how they apply to current audio-video production standards, and certainly have more ideas to contemplate after reading your post. As you articulate, reflection is a necessary component of learning and teaching, including for those of us in IST!
ReplyDeleteThis was a fascinating walk down memory lane. I too remember pushing carts down the hall. I don't remember actually learning anything from the videos that were shown. I do remember that it was break from the traditional learning methods of teaching from the text book. I considered it a class that I did not have to pay attention and could work on other homework. I think the use of media has changed and become more focused. Today, it would be a short YouTube clip that could highlight a point or provide a real-world example.
ReplyDelete