History 101

1)   How do the definitions in the first chapter compare to your own definition of instructional or educational technology?  What experiences or other influences have shaped your definition? How has your definition changed from examining the definitions in the first chapter of this book?

Instructional Design and Technology means so much more to me after reading these 3 chapters.  Instructional Technologists are today's problem solvers. They look to understand performance problems and design solutions to those problems. Sometimes the solution is instructional; other times the situation requires a non-instructional solution. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).  When comparing the definitions from the early years to now, you can see that there are many changes that have been done to the thought process behind the true meaning of Instructional Design and Technology.  In reading the different definitions from the different years, I can say that my early thoughts of Instructional Technology fell right in line with the early definition.  When you hear the word instructional technology you automatically think about media used to assist learning.  After reading the first chapter, I have learned a great deal about what instructional technology actually is.  The early years considered it the visual instructional movement that focused its resources on maps, charts, graphs, slides, and motion pictures  (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).  As the years progressed the things that were considered instructional technology changed.  It went from charts and graphs to television, films, and overhead projectors and now being a process of how we ensure learners are able to apply what they have been taught using instructional media. 

2)   Next, think of a lesson or unit of instruction that you have developed. Or if you haven’t ever taught or developed instruction, think of one that you have received. How does that lesson adhere or fail to adhere to the six characteristics of instructional design? How would you redesign it to better adhere to the six characteristics.

Chapter 2 focuses on the characteristics of instructional design.  There are six characteristics of instructional design: 1) Instruction Design is student centered.  2) Instructional design is goal centered.  3) Instructional design focuses on meaningful performance. 4) Instructional design assumes outcomes can be measured in a reliable and valid way. 5) Instructional design is empirical, iterative, and self-correcting.  6) Instructional design is typically a team effort. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012)  After reading about the six characteristics of Instruction Design and reflecting on projects that we have worked on in the classroom, I am proud to say that my lesson adhered to the six characteristics.  One of the preps I teach is a Career Portals course, where my students are in search of what careers might be good for them.  One of the major projects students have to complete before the end of the course is a Goals Project.  This project is designed to give students an idea of where they want to see themselves in the future.  The Goals projects has the students incorporating long and short term goals.  The purpose is so that students are able to have a goal that they can achieve in a short period of time and really focus on it since they are already in the 8^th grade and looking at high school choices.  Our school district is full of Magnet programs that require students to apply, have certain test score, and interview.  This project helps students become aware of what’s required of them and also how they might have to increase in certain areas.  This lesson is one that the students really enjoy but take a lot away about their future aspirations.  Students create a PowerPoint presentation and are given free range of design.  This allows students to be creative, determine goals, and apply knowledge and skills to obtain these goals.  My first year teaching my students completed this task using poster board.  After evaluating the success of the project, I determined it was not successful at all.  The students had a hard time connecting with the assignments even though it was about them.  The following year, I decided to incorporate technology and have the students present in the end.  The students loved this.  My goal was to have students figure out their goals and be able to define what a goal was.  The students bought into the assignment because they were excited about using technology, present to their classmates, show off their skills using PowerPoint, and also excited about how I introduced the lesson.  The project was not a team effort, but the book stated that it can be completed by a single person if it’s not a large project. 

3)   In the 3rd chapter, Reiser distinguishes instructional media from instructional design, excluding teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from the definition of instructional media. Why? Would you consider teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks instructional media? Is the purpose of instructional design to incorporate media into instruction?

Reiser excludes teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from instructional media.  I would have to definitely agree.  Originally from my personal definition of what I thought instructional media was, it did not include those ancient items from the classroom.  When thinking about instructional media, I think outside the box from the norm of what you have found in the traditional day to day classroom.  I believe the ultimate purpose of instruction design is to incorporate media into the instruction.  We are dealing with a generation of students where technology rules the world.  It’s hard to imagine a classroom that does not bring in those things that are apart of their everyday life and what they connect to.  

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.