Getting Out of My Blogging Comfort Zone - Blogger to Wordpress

An important part of growing as an Educational Technologist is exploring new tools as well and staying at the forefront of learning theory and strategies. When it comes to blogging, I caught myself staying within my own comfort zone with Blogger. I enjoy Blogger. It’s easy, free, and for schools and organizations that have incorporated Google into their IT solutions.

However, there is a lot Wordpress has to offer such as more widgets, professional-looking themes, and more freedom to make a blog look and act like a website.

So, I will spend the next few months gradually moving content from this website over to EdTechJerry.Wordpress.com. All my newest posts will appear there. Thanks for following, and feel free to share your comments, tips, and education technology experiences and challenges there.

Uploading Files for Bay Area Fellowship LifeGroups Leaders

I spend a few hours every weekend as the curriculum developer for Bay Area Fellowship’s LifeGroups Ministry.

That volunteer role entails listening to the sermon each weekend taking copious notes in Evernote on my Motorola Lapdock. My notes are then converted into a 3-point discussion that fits onto one page if printed.

Posting the sermon study in a way that group leaders can download the appropriate file takes some work with HTML, but not much. I demonstrate the steps it takes to post a PDF file onto the curriculum page for Bay Area Fellowship’s LifeGroups Ministry.

In this video you will observe the following:

• How to read HTML code and know where you are on a webpage
• How to copy & paste HTML, then tailor the content to your needs
• How to test your new link, spacing, font, etc.
• How to insert additional breaks via HTML

Staying Enactive When Teaching Young Students

When working with children, you want to stay in the "Enactive" area of learning and be as "hands on" as possible. 

Because young students have relatively few experiences to draw from, they need concrete practice engaging as much of their senses as possible. Hands-on learning gives youth new experiences that can serve as a launching pad for future learning. 

This approach can and should be applied to students of all ages who are taking on a brand new field of study.

Discovery Learning as an Instructional Method

              Discovery learning is an application of constructivist theory where students may work together to learn new skill sets in a way that allows students to engage with subject material, explore cause-effect relationships, and learn through trial and error. This method provides opportunity for learning to be driven by genuine curiosity and passion. The highest percentage of learners is tactile/kinesthetic learners who gain and retain knowledge through hand-on activity above traditional lectures or other passive means of instruction. (Cole, 2008) Working in groups to solve a problem has the added benefit of requiring learners to communicate their ideas clearly in a way that others can understand. Models need to be constructed and as a result everyone learns more (Jonassen, 2006).

            Given how most learners are kinesthetic, hands-on learners, and the fact that many of the presentations I provide as a community educator for Women’s Shelter of South Texas are formatted as lectures with visual aids such as PowerPoint or Prezi presentations, it is obvious that one of the largest changes that needs to be made to the curriculum I deliver is more hands-on discovery. This is especially true for the primary prevention curriculum we provide in a school setting for Kindergarten through 12^th Grade as part of an anti-bullying/anti-violence education initiative. Currently, our curriculum for primary prevention is designed as a lecture with discussion series

The irony is that we expect to deliver education on math, for example, in smaller group settings over a series of lessons over time, but then expect to teach students about techniques to stop bullying through a mass assembly that is delivered once in a school year. No teacher would be willing to teach Geometry to high school students as a one-time assembly in the school’s gymnasium. In any case, there is a need to provide a setting that allows students to work together to solve the problems of bullying and other violence (teen dating violence, for example). It is through this hands-on approach that students will be able to understand the importance of having respect for each other and gain knowledge and skills that will promote healthy relationships in their lives for many years to come. Problem solving in a group setting would provide an opportunity for students to teach each other reinforcing anything learned all the more.

Resources

Cole, Robert W. "Chapter 1, Strategy 1.4 Involve Students Actively." Educating Everybody's Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008. Print.

Jonassen, David H., and David H. Jonassen. "Chapter 2, Modeling Problems." Modeling with Technology: Mindtools for Conceptual Change. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.

Using Social Media as a Mindtool to End Violence Against Women

Originally written March 25, 2012

“In higher education, social networks are possible game changers using all tools.” Kevin Kvalvik, CEO, Shadowbox Design (Rivero, 2011).

                

                Women’s Shelter of South Texas (WSSTx) is a battered women’s sheltered based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Its mission is to prevent and ultimately end domestic and sexual violence in South Texas, and the agency serves a 12-county area with over 550,000 residents. One of the challenges that the WSSTx has is how can its 4-person team of professional educators reach out to a community of this size and conduct effective education to enough community members to foster conceptual changes that end the social norms that support violence, especially violence against women. It is believed that social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ can provide a comprehensive platform to facilitate higher level discussions that expose these negative social norms and usher an era of cognitive and conceptual change that builds communities with low tolerances for such violence and high expectations for healthy relationships. This paper will explore the prevalence of social media, how social media can be used as a “mindtool” as defined by David Jonassen, discussion topics that can be facilitated by social media to address social norms change, and provide some examples that support the notion that social media can be used in such a fashion.

                The most notorious of all social media platforms today is undoubtedly Facebook with 845 million monthly users as of December 2011 and 483 million daily users. It is estimated that over 425 million users access Facebook through a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet computer such as iPad or Samsung Galaxy (Facebook Newsroom, 2012.) YouTube follows with 490 million unique monthly users logging in and 92 billion monthly page views (Bullas, 2011.) The Huffington Post reported in 2011 that the microblog service known as Twitter has over 100 million active users sending 283 million Tweets monthly. A lot of this activity on Twitter is meant to drive traffic to existing blogs or Facebook pages for a deeper discussion. Google unleashed “Google+” in hopes of giving Facebook a run for its money. Google+ currently only has 25 million users compared to Facebook’s 845 million, however it has been dubbed as the fastest growing social media platform in 2011 (Bullas, 2011.) For all intents and purposes of this discussion, I will consider Google+ to be a Facebook-like platform, so references to Facebook can also include Google+.

                The primary purpose for all of these platforms is to share information and have discussions. Unlike online chatrooms of the 1990s, discussions on current social media can be synchronous as well as asynchronous making it very convenient to use. Its accessibility on smartphone and tablet technology makes it even more accessible where time is not spent logging into computers and software since most mobile applications keep users logged in at all times, or automatically log in for the user upon opening of the application. Just as fisherman say that to catch fish one needs to go where the fish are biting, similarly if we wish to reach a larger audience in a medium and timeframe that works best for our audience, we need to go where they are.

                A “mindtool” is any technology that is used to facilitate higher level thinking, cognitive development, or concept change (Jonassen, 2006.) One such mindtool that can be provided by social media is structured computer conferences. Structured computer conferences can be conducted asynchronously as a discussion board or Facebook discussion post. They can also be conducted synchronously such as The Nines Leadership Network conference where various Christian pastors and leaders from around the United States recorded and posted 9-minute videos and viewers participated in live Twitter-based discussions facilitated by active moderators to help viewers address problems and create solutions for their own churches and ministries. Structured computer conferences work best when they serve a specific purpose to solve or address a specific problem (Jonassen.)

                Role plays and simulations can be conducted on Facebook where discussions can be conducted publicly or in private pages. YouTube videos and even podcasts can provide a modern visual dynamic where participants can post video responses to discussion threads, especially for those who do not feel comfortable in writing and are able to make their points verbally or visually. Video can provide other communication elements we are used to utilizing in face-to-face communication such as body language and tone of voice. Modeling through hypermedia is also facilitated easily as Facebook posts and Twitter “Tweets” can include hyperlinks to various information sources online such as YouTube videos, blog posts, primary sources of information such as Centers for Disease Control or Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. Effective and impactful computer conferences require moderators and facilitators that can keep a discussion on track and guide it in a way that fosters conceptual change for its participants.

                Mindtools such as social media discussions, video discussion threads, and structured computer conferences can address the underlying social norms that support a culture of violence against women such as the objectification of women in advertising and music, the violent nature of video games, and even catch-phrases like “You throw like a girl!” to express how weak a boy throws a baseball equating weakness with being a female. This kind of education is referred to as primary prevention education in the movement to end violence against women. The idea is to promote healthy relationships and point out unhealthy elements of our society that lead to violence so that violence can be prevented before it ever becomes an option to individuals. Recognizing and changing these mindsets requires a deeper level discussion that cannot be reached through public service announcements, brochures, or school assemblies that allow school administrators to check a box of compliance.

                Social media can also be used to create “communities of practice” that draw together like-minded people to discuss and explore an area of interest (Hsiu-Ting, 2010.) Many instructors and educators are using social media as a supplemental tool to face-to-face instruction such as an advertising course from Kennesaw State University where Web 2.0 tools and social media must be used to create an advertising campaign. The extremely low cost and accessibility of social media platforms was just too good to pass up (Lester, 2011.) Students also discovered through their project that there exists a digital generation where social media can be used as a forum for self-expression, communication, collaboration, and connection (Lester.)

                Sometimes, before we can have deep online sessions that foster conceptual change, many doses of lower level awareness information needs to be disseminated and understood first. Maximized exposure is definitely key in this regard, and social media can play an important role in reaching the masses. Mass media is beginning to look to social media for many of its leads and to share information. In fact, a recent national survey of reporters and editors showed that 89 percent used blogs for story research, 65 percent used social media sites like Facebook, and slightly over half used Twitter. Media outlets also used social media to share their news stories. The Association for Career and Technical Education conducted a successful campaign in 2011 where they set a goal of 250 Tweets or Facebook posts as well as 50 blog posts about the benefits of career and technical education and maintained funding for the Perkins Act to the economy and workforce. The final results of ACTE’s efforts included 475 Tweets and “Re-Tweets” where followers on Twitter re-posted ACTE’s original Tweets, or posts, 42 Facebook posts, and only twelve blog posts. There were over a dozen articles and news stories made that centered on the efforts of ACTE and their desired goal to see continued funding of the Perkins Act (Kidwai, 2011.) ACTE recommends that an effective social media awareness campaign be kept short and direct, employ data and stories, and most importantly maintain a respectful tone to its audiences. A successful campaign may possibly build enough credibility to lead into a greater acceptance of a structured computer conference focused on addressing social norms that support a culture of violence against women.

                As great as social media sounds, there are some limitations such as how do we measure success of a structured computer conference? This could somewhat be offset by pre- and post-surveys held during a synchronous learning session, however, it may become daunting and maybe close to impossible in an asynchronous setting. Narratives and observations of the way that discussions have progressed may be one solution. Limiting the number of participants would be counter to the goal of reaching out to the public at-large, but keeping groups of participants to a manageable size may be another solution. Many asynchronous discussions could be conducted simultaneously on different accounts or pages. Most research points to the current use of social media is as a supplement to classroom learning, and not as a method in and of itself (Lester, 2011).

                At the end of the day, social media has become a tool that is relatively easy to use, readily accessible as a free application with minimal requirements to get started (DuBose, 2011,) and become so prevalent in our global society that we must consider ways to harness this technology to affect positive social change through educational opportunities that foster deep, higher level conceptual change even in the area of violence against women. The greatest challenge for Women’s Shelter of South Texas now is to actually implement the strategies stated above of creating a social media campaign that attracts the attention of mass media while also building general lower level awareness with the public then prepare to conduct a series of computer conferences that foster higher level discussions and learning.

History of the World (of Educational Technology and Design), Part I

Educational technology and design is a relatively new field of practice when we consider the history of human learning. It marks a major shift from traditional means of instruction passing knowledge from elders to youth through stories, or classroom instruction from a teacher to students. This paper will provide a brief narrative of the short history of educational technology and design identifying major milestones as well as foundational principles that drive the field of instructional technology and design today.

Stereograph, circa late-1800s

While photographs and stereographs have been used since the late-1800s in classroom instruction, it is Robert Reiser’s claim in “A History of Instructional Design and Technology Part 1” that the motion picture projector was one of the first media devices to be used in a classroom. In 1910, the first catalog was published that provided teachers with instructional films that could be selected for the purpose of supplementing curriculum. For many years, the field of education would see technology only as a supplement to the primary means of instruction, that is teachers and textbooks. Museums, with their collections of films, slides, and photographs as well as traveling exhibits, would also be used to supplement primary instructional means.

            Advances in radio broadcasting and sound recording piqued more interest in the use of technology in instruction during the 1920s and 1930s. This time period witnessed the merging of three professional training associations in 1932 into a larger National Education Association, which is now known as Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Despite the interest in film and radio for instructional purposes, it was not until World War II that educational technology and design had its biggest spark to life.

Necessity Breeds Creativity

            The United States of America faced a desperate need to train millions of men and women to serve in the U.S. military and private industry. The U.S. was in the middle of an economic depression and its military was not large enough to be an influencing factor in the early years of the war. However, with the use of instructional films by both the U.S. military and by factories around the nation, millions of people were able to receive consistent, on-demand training. The U.S. Army Air Corps., for example, commissioned over 1000 films and filmstrips that provided over 4 million viewings. Training films provide the advantage of being able to deliver the same material consistently without concern for instructor fatigue or burnout. When the film is worn out, it can be simply replaced by a duplicate copy or an updated version. Other technology used included sound recordings for linguists, photographs for enemy recognition, and simulators for tank and flight training. The end result of the efforts to use technology in war-time training was overwhelming victory. According to my own experiences in the U.S. Army from 1999-2003, many of these technologies are still used today.

           

World War II also spurred on something never before seen in the field of education, a systematic approach to how instructional programs are assessed, designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated (Hey! It’s the ADDIE model!) Psychologists were called in to create a screening device and determine which service members were most likely to benefit from particular training programs. While this practice was focused on selecting the right students for fixed programs, B.F. Skinner in the 1950s describes a process to deliver instruction that was effective for its audiences. The focus was shifted onto the design of the program rather than the entry-level capabilities of its students. In his book, The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching, Skinner describes requirements for increasing human learning and creating effective instructional materials. Program instruction would include increments of instruction that required frequent questions and feedback so that students would gain confidence and increased learning through a process of immediate positive reinforcement and feedback. This was a more empirical approach to providing training.

The launching of Sputnik into orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957 also provided a boost to deliver systematically designed training curriculum at a faster pace. By 1967, Michael Scriven saw that training would be more timely and effective if evaluation, feedback and adjustments were available while a program was in development rather than the current practice of waiting until the program was in its final product stage (summative evaluation). This process of a rolling start to a programmed instruction would be known as formative evaluation and a program going through such an evaluation would be said to be in its formative stages. Formative evaluation would prove to be more cost effective and efficient compared to summative evaluation in regards to time and other resources.

Improving on What Works

Also, in this time period, there was a shift from “norm-referenced” testing where individuals were ranked among their peers in a group to “criterion-referenced” testing which was permitted because of the acceptance of such practices as identifying specific training objectives using behavioral terms, a practice recognized by Robert Mager in the 1960s. Robert Glaser stated that criterion-referenced testing could be used for two purposes, assessing a student’s entry level behavior and determining the acquired behaviors from an instructional program. Criterion-referenced testing has become a central feature to instructional design.

To continue the pattern that would suggest that we should all name our children Robert, Robert Gagne published The Condition of Learning in 1965 where he describes five domains of learning outcomes which include the following: verbal information, intellectual skills, psychomotor skills, attitudes, and cognitive strategies. Each of these desired outcomes required a different set of conditions for learning. Gagne also discussed hierarchical analysis where each skill learned required the learning of some subordinate skill. This suggested that there is a logical progression to learning new concepts and skills, and that instructional design needs to consider instructional task analysis to identify subordinate skills. Hierarchical analysis is a key feature to many instructional design models.

In the 1970s and 1980s, a focus on a systems approach to instructional design was easier to consider as more and more theories on learning and communication were developed from the 1960s. With over 40 models of instructional design already developed in the 1970s, the United States also saw the development of graduate programs in the field. The 1980s saw more applications of cognitive psychology as well as microcomputers which were initially used for skills training.

The 1990s were a time when constructivism was gaining ground, and many of the additions to the field of instructional design included non-instructional solutions such as incentive systems and work environment considerations. In constructivism, there is apparent need to provide “authentic” learning tasks where groups of people collaborate to solve complex problems. This allows students to take ownership of their knowledge. Today, the internet now provides learners with quick, paperless collaboration tools that can synchronize a group’s efforts and increase the speed of learning as groups do not need to spend time to travel to a collective location to work together.

As mobile connectivity technology such as smartphones, tablet personal computers, e-readers, and laptop computers becomes readily available for more and more people globally, this is a great opportunity to find ways to apply this technology to provide educational solutions to the world applying the principles discussed in this paper with discoveries made with the popular use of these technologies.