Reading: What are, in your mind, two unique or interesting or different or noteworthy ways Instructional Design/Technology has been used in business & industry that you believe could be usefully applied to your own professional work? Explain.
Lately in my school we have been focusing on collaborations. So much so that we went to Cedar Springs (an hour and a half away) to watch how their staff collaborates. I know that many times in my professional life I have thought, “Why are we here? Why are we talking about this? What are we even talking about? How did we get on this topic?” These questions and many others make meetings and collaboration time feel like a waste of time, when in fact this type of time is very valuable. It is during this time that professionals can grow and become better at their jobs and at working together.
If professionals are going to collaborate and work in groups, they must know how to do so in a productive manner. They need to define the roles of each member. Otherwise, people do not know why they are there or what is expected of them. Defining roles in a group allows each member to have a stake in the outcome of their collaboration.
For teachers to be effective they must learn from one another. They must work together to create a community that is both positive and comfortable for students to learn and teachers to teach. In order to create this environment teachers must be able to work effectively in groups. Educators can only do this if they define roles of each member and stick to those roles. The most important role in collaboration is the role of the facilitator. The facilitator must be able to keep the group focused and on task; we have all been in meetings where the group gets off topic and the effectiveness of the collaboration is lost.
When I go to collaboration today (we have one tomorrow) I really want there to be a structure to the group. I want the roles of each member to be defined. I want someone in the group to lead the group and make sure that we stay on topic and within time parameters.
Previous assignments: As a kind of check in, I’d like to hear a somewhat summative reflection on your experience in the course so far, particularly related to the technology-related tasks you’ve tackled. How challenging have you found them? What support didn’t you get that you would have appreciated (or what support did you get that you did appreciate)? Do you think you’ll find ways to incorporate some of what we’ve done in your professional work? For those of you new (or somewhat new) to this masters program, how do you feel about this as a first or early course in your program?
I have found the technology to be somewhat difficult, mostly because I do not have a true understanding of how this all works. I sometimes get an image in my head of what something may look like or how it is going to work. And when it does not meet those expectations I feel like I did it wrong. I know when we did the readers, I thought it was going to scroll along the bottom of my blog like the creeper on CNN or ESPN. I made it out to be more than it needed to be or more than it was.
I am extremely excited about many of the things I have learned. I know that the blogs and wikis have given me so many ideas about projects for students. Many of my students have fine motor skill problems so when I ask them to make posters or timelines…they look terrible. It is really discouraging because they feel bad about the quality of work (when compared to other students) and I feel less than enthused when a project looks like a little kid made it. Also they make such a mess when they are cutting out pictures and pasting things on poster board. If given the same assignment but asked to make it on a blog or in a wiki, their handwriting, cutting ability and other fine motor skills do not play such a large role. Their final product looks much like their peers’. They do not need to feel embarrassed about the projects and I would/will be more enthusiastic when students complete projects that look professional. Also, there is no mess for me to clean up.
I am taking this class as one of my last classes in the program. I am glad I am taking this now, for the simple reason that technology moves so fast. If I had this class three years ago when I started the program I would not be up to date with what is out there. I know that I will fall behind after this class is done, but at least I will be able to be kind of savvy for awhile, and that may force me to stay on top of the technology. Had I had this three years ago I would not have been able to apply what I have learned in the classroom because I did not have one. Now I have a classroom where I am more likely to use the information that was learned, and am therefore more likely to retain what I have learned.
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3 comments:
The role of the facilitator is so key! If we are having difficulty with a student we can call a team meeting with the parents, the psychologist, social worker, OT and speech therapist and any other members of the team that may be helping with the education of the student. With that many people involved it's easy to get off track. The role of the facilitator is very important in keeping the meeting on topic so that we can stay in the alloted amount of time. We also use a time keeper as we spend a certain amount of time on each area of the meeting as well as a note taker. It is a very useful method that helps such meetings to be productive and efficient.
Rick
I agree with meeting in groups that 'front' as a collaboration where nobody really knows what's going on. I attended a meeting last week which consisted of other tech/business teachers in my county. Because this was a state-mandated meeting, the facilitors seemed unclear of the ultimate goal. I asked myself those very questions you did, "Why I am here?" and what on Earth are they going to do with all these pages and pages of data they are collecting?
Although I am technology teachers, I still feel some of your 'pain' in keeping up with everything, even after I am finished with my master's degree. I have the drive, but don't always feel like there is enough time. I look for technology related workshops, seminars, etc. I just attended a Discovery Education Network workshop on Saturday. I plan to share a lot of what I learned with this class. I think subscribing to RSS feeds and networking either virtually or in person, are great ways to try to stay on top of things.
I know what you mean about collaboration and staff meetings. I've been at this jib for ten years and I still, at times, wonder why we are doing this (meeting). I can tell you that the principal makes a big difference. I've had four different principals (two schools). The principals who had a plan, much like the one you described in your blog, had better meetings. We actually got things accomplished when we followed a plan of action (like the chapter suggests). The meetings where everyone thinks they are the one in charge and likes to argue every point can be tiresome. I agree with your assessment that roles are important and having one person coordinate the different roles and groups is very helpful. As for what you had to say about technology, you'd be surprised what you can learn at inservice or conferences. Keep you eyes open for technology type training. Your school pays for it, you get the professional development credit, and you keep somewhat current with new technology. It sounds like you've got a handle on it. Try not to predict what these technologies will turn out to be. Just try everything, you'll be surprised how cool something can turn out when you don't "expect" it. (P.S. you can learn a lot by Googleing the different freeware we are using in class. It takes a little time, but you learn a lot and it is fun.)
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