This comprehensive reflection summarizes my educational technology knowledge base of theories and skills established through my Master's program at SDSU. This thorough program offers a well-rounded overview of edtech theories and practices as well as in depth studies on several edtech elements. The following reflection offers an brief overview of the toolkit I have developed through this program. The reflection is divided into four sections:

 my love for Educational Technology,
 illuminating ideas, 
 planning for change,
 and references.

An interactive plethora of eclectic activities
- my ideal job description.

Love for Educational Technology

My love of Educational Technology ties in directly to three of my dominate personality traits: structure, efficiency, and creativity.

Inefficiencies make me crazy. If there is any opportunity to streamline a process or experience I usually recognize it and immediately evaluate ways to make it better. Educational Technology has provided numerous tools and strategies for me to create efficient solutions. For example, throughout my course work I’ve developed a number of technical skills assisting me in creating better, more interactive websites. My websites have evolved from basic sites designed in Dreamweaver to interactive web 2.0 sites created using Drupal. Now through using the learning management system Moodle I am able to help other teachers streamline their content and organize their classrooms in an online setting. I love providing teachers with ways to make their jobs easier and using tools like Moodle provide them with such opportunities.

Now programs like Moodle help to organize resources and provide an excellent structure for content creators and users alike. As an Abstract Sequential, I love the linear processes associated with instructional design, and have found processes such as ADDIE and ICARE to be great starting points in developing new content. As an adult educator I often use the ICARE model to design web-based and print based course materials for my teachers. I very much appreciate the linear quality to the process and find that when communicating with my learners, a clear process is key to their success. I love having a starting point for designing my lessons and the ICARE model is the one I most frequently use.

My third love, creativity has been cultivated in both of my prior loves as well as independently. Inefficiencies are usually solved through creative means, and I love having the opportunity to analyze and search for solution systems to fix those problems. I have also very much enjoyed designing, websites, animations, independent learning modules and many of the other products created for different courses through this program. Every class that I’ve taken I’ve worked to take my new skill set and apply it to my classes for my students and later for the teachers I’m training. I’ve developed the confidence to teach myself new programs as well as a love for multimedia and communication tools. Everything is a little brighter and a little prettier in my world than when I started the program.

I love the linear processes associated with instructional design, but in addition to those processes, EdTech allows for great creativity and opportunities to think "outside the box". I often find myself on what Dr. Bernie Dodge calls the 'bleeding edge" of technology and that as part of a learning community I could be part of the solution is exhilarating.

I love that the creative possibilities are endless, and through working with students and adults in public school systems I feel dialed into the pulse of the future. I'm finding it very interesting to be at a transitional point between students and teachers learning technology. My students were pushing me to learn more and bring more to them to learn, and I do find that some teachers are like that too. However, the bulk of teachers are overwhelmed and even resistant to these new technologies. So now I'm faced with a new challenge; to bring rationale and purpose to the teachers regarding using technology, and inspire them to find reason to integrate it in their classrooms.

Illuminating Ideas

I had so many a-ha moments throughout this program that it took a little editing to break this down into a more manageable section. As a middle school teacher and now an adult educator I found the many design structures to be immediately applicable as well as a being a clear and concise backbone to the whole instructional design process.

Structures,
Instructional Design Strategies,
and Technical Skills.

Structures
My coursework often focused on a number of linear structural processes and models. In Dr. Bob Hoffman’s 541 course the class modules were structured around the ICARE model; Introduction, Connect, Apply, Reflect, and Extend.  I’ve found this model to be ideal in setting up my middle school computer course units, especially given the different ability levels I had in my courses. The ICARE model allows students the ability to proceed at their own pace, and also grants opportunities for extension for those students who surpass the initial requirements. I also used this model to design an e-learning course for my 794a project on customer service further enhancing my understanding of the model.

Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction were an excellent review of the original lesson plans I created in my undergraduate work. The reminder to gain students attention and explain to them the objects is key. As an adult educator now, I find it even more prudent to gain my audience’s attention as well as provide purpose and clear objectives for my learners. I also spend a lot more time focusing on Gagne's final step regarding transfer to the job. I want my lessons for my teachers to transfer directly to their jobs, not to be left behind as training only.

Instructional Design Strategies
In all of the different types of courses I now design, I am always looking at clarifying my objectives. I think about my notes from Dr. Rossett's 685 course and try to incorporate the CLAM method (Context, Learner, Attention, and Message.) My adult learners require an authentic context and also need lesson that apply directly to their classrooms. The structural design of my lessons is often based on my readings from Dr. Ruth Clark's book on designing instructional objectives. The current trend in education focuses everything on standards-based evaluation so I'm working to address my lessons with the same tone and clarity. Once those objectives have been identified I determine the type of learning that needs to take place. Drawing on Clark's research I create lessons based on whether the objective knowledge needed is factual, procedural, principle, etc.

Often my trainings for the teachers becomes part of a blended learning situation. My teachers are required to prepare something before they arrive to the training which helps to create authentic learning contexts, and once the training is completed I try to send back with them some sort of job aid sidekick to facilitate the transfer of knowledge back to their home environment. Logical job aid creation has been a crucial element in designing training material and I find that it is the first thing teachers ask for in my trainings.

Now that my primary audience is adults, I am finding Adult Learning Theory to be very beneficial in meeting the needs of my learners. I am constantly looking at ways to personalize their learning experience and draw on their own experiences and beliefs. I am beginning to create a lot of computer-based learning materials for the teachers. It is difficult finding time for teachers to meet to provide training, and I've found that creating online tutorials and reference materials that are available anytime anywhere are beginning to be used more and more by the teachers. Anytime I'm creating these CBT lessons I'm also trying to keep Clark's 4 Cs in mind: Clean, Clear, Consistent, and Controlled. I've also found my heightened audience attention through providing a number of examples of work other teachers have completed that would motivate, or inspire their colleagues.

Technical Skills

When I first moved to California I got a teaching job in a middle school Mac lab. I hadn't actually used a Mac for a number of years, and the programs purchased for the lab were amazingly advanced for middle school students, or so it seemed to me. The programs varied from Adobe Photoshop CS to Macromedia Studio MX. Fortunately, I had signed up for a number of Dr. Hoffman's multimedia courses, and through those courses I was able to bring back lessons and units for my students. We were able to do advanced projects such as creating educational videos in Flash and designing student portfolio projects in Dreamweaver. The kids soaked in everything that I brought back, and it was great motivation.

Through taking a number of courses online I have also acquired a distance learning skill set. I have been able to present using video conferencing programs such as Breeze and Wimba, as well as a conceptual understanding of content management systems such as Blackboard, Web CT and Moodle. Through a number of courses I have also developed skills relating to posting online materials in blogs, forums, and chat rooms as well as uploading and retrieving materials from web servers.

In my current position as teacher on special assignment (TOSA) I am in charge of teaching the secondary teachers in my district how to incorporate technology into their classes. The best technical skill I have acquired is my ability to learn new programs and not fear technology. I am constantly asked to teach classes on new and emerging technology and thanks to my experiences with so many different programs and ideas, I am able to teach myself how to use these new programs and frequently present new workshops for my staff.

Planning for Change

During the general training that I do for all teachers in my district we always show the "Shift happens" video. This video contains a number of interesting facts and predictions about technology in the future. My favorite quote from the presentation is "We are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don't yet exist...in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet." This has been my philosophy in teaching middle school students and teachers about how to best use technology. I never focus on using specific programs, but rather becoming familiar with the logical sequencing of programs and developing confidence in abilities to solve problems. In Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat, he focuses on preparing ourselves and our future generations for Globalization 3.0. Our students need to be prepared to compete globally as individuals, and we need to prepare them for such a world.

References

Clark, R. (1999). Development technical training: A structured approach for developing classroom and computer-based instructional materials , 2nd Edition. Washington D.C.:Pfeiffer.

Friedman, T (2007). The world is flat. New York, NY: Farrar Strauss, and Giroux.

Rossett, A. (1999). First things fast: A handbook for performance analysis. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfieffer.

Rossett, A. & Schafer, L. (2007). Job aids and performance support: Moving from knowledge in the classroom to knowledge everywhere. San Francisco, CA: Pfieffer.

Shift happens. Retrieved from YouTube March 31, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q

To see a complete list of references visit my Personal Knowledge Management Page.

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