Creep (of the scope kind).

Feel free to press "Play" on this video as you read.  Fitting, no?

The Overview:

As an educator, one of the buzzwords used recently is "data."  Everything is about data: data-driven instruction, data walls, data systems, etc.  One way that our administrators attempted to use data was in having departments form data teams.  The point of the project accomplished by the data teams was to analyze literacy activities in our content areas and provide reports to be submitted to the school board.  In a whole-faculty meeting, our principal explained what a data was, the process for completing a data cycle, the basic idea of what she needed from each department and the deadline.

The Process:

The first step was for department teams to get together, determine group norms and roles, and decide on data team meeting dates.  From there we decided on the activity for which we were going to focus, what from the activity we were going to collect to analyze as data, and when to have that step completed by.  After the data collection, then we were to meet together to compare results, look for strengths/weakness/commonalities, and analyze what could be done to improve.  These notes would be recorded and submitted to our principal to be sent on to the school board.

The Creep:

For an English department busy with all our own job responsibilities, this already was going to be a daunting task.  When our team was at the point of compiling analyzed data into a report document in order to submit it, our principal gave each data team a form which she wanted us to use to provide all teams a consistent format for their reports.  This caused some problems because we were already approaching the requested deadline and this new format would require additional meeting time outside of the school day to reword things and provide additional information which was not indicated to us that we needed in the first place.

The Solution:

After having each of us review our notes to ensure that based on what our principal explained that we needed to provide her we did complete, our data team leader who was the senior teacher in the English department explained to our principal that in order to meet the deadline which she set we were going to submit our original report the way we created it and that a version using the form she gave us would be submitted later.  The leveraging points used were that based on the original content for the deliverable (data report), we had met all requirements on time and that we'd be happy to use her form but that her changing the requirements did not allow us with the time to be able to complete it and still meet the deadline.

The Meta-Analysis:

If I had been the project manager, knowing now what I do I might have asked my principal if there was a specific form template she strongly was considering asking each department to use.  The next thing I would have done would have been to communicate more frequently with our principal than our department did to ensure that what we were creating was meeting requirements in her opinion.  Doing this would have meant that if she had been giving approval all along, if she introduced the form, we could have gone back and said that she had giving approval to our process.  But in the moment, I would have made the same move as our data team leader in submitting the form we created so as to meet the deadline and explain to our principal that we would submit the data with her form but that it would come later.

The Conclusion:

Projects come in many forms with different requirements and deliverables.  Even if a project as simple as an analysis of student work can fall victim to scope creep.  No matter the scope creep though, solutions to these creepy moments can be found.

Stepping into the future while considering the past (Wk8AssgnGeursG)

            When peer-to-peer file sharing program Napster debuted in 1999, technology experts all over the United States saw Napster for what it really was: a revolutionary innovation in music.  Since then, such file sharing programs such as BearShare, Limewire, and Kazaa (which I may or may not have used), as well as companies with pay-for-music services such as iTunes and Amazon have all provided services which can be traced back directly to the work of the Fanning brothers and Napster.

            Fifteen years ago, people would not have been able to guess how digital music would change, but they could make some pretty strong guesses.  In the same way, since distance education’s early days in 1833 with correspondence courses(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012), the face of distance education has continued to progress alongside the technology it utilizes.

            The major technological force which propels distance education is the Internet and its communication tools.  Distance education heavily relies on communication between instructors and learners, especially as they are divided by time and geography.  As Dr. George Siemens points out, “More and more of us are communicating online” (Laureate Education, “The Future of Distance Education”).  This is a positive thing which will have a strong impact on public perception of distance learning five, ten, or even twenty years down the road.  As people become more comfortable communicating with each other over long distance, become familiar with the tools which they use in order to communicate, and become used to how the two can be used in order to exchange ideas and knowledge, distance learning’s perception will pick up speed and be viewed more and more positively as time goes on.

            Instructional designers have a challenge in the years upcoming related to improve social perception and continue to improve the quality of instruction in the field of distance education.  Through the use of the social channels to which instructional designers have access, they have the ability to engage community stakeholders by demonstrating the quality of distance learning programs by giving clear examples of work and how it matches up to brick-and-mortar institutions’ learning objectives for courses.  Instructional designers can also be agents for change by providing clear communication and example of how distance learning principles already are a part of individuals’ daily lives.  They can help in the improvement of distance education by listening to the voices of concerned stakeholders and looking for ways to alleviate their fears and concerns.  For example, if a stakeholder is concerned about having access to an instructor, the instructional designer should look for different avenues to provide the concerned person with solutions to the problem.

            The future of distance learning is as pregnant with possibility now as Napster was fifteen years ago.  Only the passing of time can demonstrate what changes and improvements will be birthed.  People engaged in the process such as instructional designers can have a large influence on the direction and quality of changes that are possible and they should make the most of every opportunity to make distance learning as effective as possible.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). The future of distance education [Video file]. Retrieved from              https://class.waldenu.edu.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance:             Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

A reflection on learning at a distance.

Learning is a natural process; horses learn to pull a plow, dogs learn not to urinate on the carpet, and high school students learn algebra –in most cases anyway.  Learners gain knowledge and new skill sets to use.  For generations, learning was done in person with a face-to-face approach, as seen through the example of oral tradition.  Geographical shifts and technological advancements have created both a need and opportunity for people in unique circumstances to be able to learn, even at a distance from whatever is considered the source for knowledge.

Distance learning has taken many shapes.  This is the case because as Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2012) explain, the word “distance” can include geographical, time, or intellectual aspects (p. 9).  As people move to new places, have new time constraints placed on their daily lives and schedules, and encounter new scenarios where new knowledge is necessary, life can require new and spontaneous ways of learning.

When I was younger I used to think of distance learning differently than I do now.  When I was in fifth grade, I wanted to take a creative writing class for elementary school students sponsored by Purdue University’s School of Education.  Since my parents were late in submitting the registration materials, I was unable to participate in the actual class.  I was, however, able to take the class by having the instructor send to my house packets of worksheets with directions which I completed and sent back to get feedback.  This correspondence course format closely resembled the way that Issac Pitman would offer shorthand writing courses in England during the 19^th century (Simonson et al., p. 37).  Up until recently, this was the only thing that came to mind when I thought of the term “distance learning.”

 I still see distance learning as opportunities for learning that happen when the learner is unable to be in a setting that involves direct contact with an instructor.  Advances in technology have made great strides to remove some of those barriers created by distance to create virtual learning scenarios for learners.  In the past, instructors would send pre-recorded video tapes of lessons; this was a good plan until the learner might have a question for the instructor or have a special need which the basic video could not address.  With new telecommunications tools such as YouTube and Skype, instructors can post videos in one location for learners to access and converse with learners to work with the learners to ensure knowledge transfer. 

As telecommunications technology improves and learner needs change, the look of distance learning will continue to change and develop.  The need of professionals to continue their education while remaining in their job setting was the catalyst for universities to develop degree programs through distance learning settings which could provide an equivalent education experience where “the distance education course is effectively designed…(so) potential learners will reach the course’s instructional objectives” (Simonson et al., p. 52).  While I cannot see into the future with my crystal ball of instruction design, learner needs will drive innovations in technology and instruction design so that distance learning continues to move towards providing the learner with the best learning experience available.

Above is a visual example of the distance learning web of which I am a part.  As a professional educator, innovations in distance education affect me, even though the only distance learning program in which I am actually enrolled is my higher education degree through Walden University.  If the reader of this blog post takes a minute to reflect upon his or her own learning, I feel certain that he or she will quickly realize that the changes that have occurred in distance learning also impact them on a daily basis.  As we look to the future, let us not be quick to dismiss distance learning, but instead ask how it can fill a need for learning and how well that need can be met.

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a

distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

To reflect is to demonstrate learning, unless you are a mirror.

            The past seven weeks have been an exercise in learning about learning.  Learning theories and learning styles have been the concentration of reading, discussion, and analysis.  As this course and semester draw to a close is the perfect time to reflect on what I how what I have learned about learning, theories, and technology apply to me.

            When it comes to gaining new knowledge, I find myself becoming frustrated with facilitators who spend what seems like an unnecessary amount of time working to establish a groundwork for more difficult concepts.  Without understanding the what of any process, I am not going to be able to follow the when and why of it (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009, p. 100).  I have always been quick to brush off the introductory steps without having a full understanding about why the fundamentals are necessary.  It is these what's however without which I would not have a why, when, or how to develop later.  I now can better appreciate these first steps for what they are.

            While I would not necessarily say my view on how I learn has changed, I acknowledge that I have a better understanding of the fact that  "intelligences (which I have) given a chance to develop" (Armstrong, 2009, p. 27) are the ones I tend to use in learning new material.  These intelligences are also ones which I tend to use on a daily basis on routine tasks, so if I can use these intelligences in learning material which will prove relevant, learning will occur and more successfully.  

             While I tend to lean on intelligences which I have more regularly used, I see the value in ensuring not to ignore other intelligences or not buy in to the idea that I am unable to develop them.  In their research case study, "Learning Styles: How Do They Fluctuate?", Gilbert and Swanier (2008) quote extensively from Felder and Silverman, including what seems like a seemingly obvious statement: "Teaching methods also vary" (p. 30).  This is not a simple observation; it carries a lot of weight to it.  If teaching methods vary, then the learner who is going to be successful is also going to be open to developing and utilizing multiple learning intelligences in the learning process so as never to be impaired.  

            Learning is a social experience for me.  While technology plays a role in creating product for specific tasks and assignments, they key way that technology aids me in learning is that it provides me to a vast array of networks, which the connectivist within enjoys and leverages.  To learn and put into practice skills, I will look to YouTube, discussion forums, Twitter and other social media, as well as professional sites and blogs which can provide the information I need.  It is the diversity of opinion which gives me the feeling of authenticity in what I am learning.  

            Learning is an intricate process, as is learning about learning.  The takeaways I have gained from this semester about how my interests and life experiences (that shape which intelligences I develop) are the reason why I use one particular learning strategy over another have also showed that it is possible to develop other intelligences and use other learning strategies as needed.  It is knowing and being able to practice these strategies which can make for the most effective learning by the most successful learner.

References

Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple intelligences in the classroom (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institiute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. 1]. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf.

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.