SAMR The Perfect Balance

Technology is every where and as educators we have seen an increase in the availability and use of technology as tools to enhance the teaching and learning environment for our students.  When I first started a class on technology and teaching I thought about all the ways I currently use technology in my instruction.  I find technology very useful when I am trying to substitute it in an assignment, or augment an assignment to make it easier for myself and my students.  Technology is not going away and we must find a way to embrace it and use it when necessary to the best of our abilities.  This leads me to SAMR.

To me SAMR is a perfect balance.  Somedays I just need enough technology to keep things running smoothly like a tall dark coffee, but then other days I want to make it fancy especially in the fall and spice my technology up to a pumpkin spice latte.  This is the beauty of SAMR you get to choose what best suits you and your content and fit it perfectly.  It keeps technology in education from getting so overwhelming.  I like to view the SAMR model as a continuum where you don't have to always aim to stay above the line as I have seen many articles describe it, but yet like a swimming pool where you explore and swim laps linking each portion of SAMR to your specific needs.  

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/672615962238779393

This is one of the best arguments I can make for SAMR.  It truly allows you to fit the technology to the content.  Not every assignment is going to need modification and redefinition, and that is ok.  Sometimes its ok to swim to the shallow because  treading water can be exhausting and when you begin to tire of trying to stay a float quality quickly begins to sink.  The adjustability of SAMR can be useful in any subject, and allows users to start out easy and move between the levels without becoming overwhelmed.

Enquire Learning

"Through merging enquiry with the versatility of the iPad and the range of applications this digital Swiss army knife offers learners, the doors are not only opened for redefinition, they are blown right off! A simple concept or topic can be introduced and each learner could take it in a different direction. Here's an example task - understand the principles of adaptation in animals. Having set their own enquiry questions, the learners are then set free to research, collaborate and present in any form they see fit. Rather than have all students complete an identikit worksheet or formal writing task, some choose to make iMovies, some make multimedia ebooks, some use Morfo or Puppet Pals or Explain Everything or - the list of potential applications grows daily." (http://www.ipadeducators.com/a-fresh-look-at-the-samr-model)

Isn't enquire learning really what we are striving for as educators.  Through redefinition the sky is the limit for students.  They are able to connect with peers and resources, and use technology in ways unimaginable.  It allows their creativity to shine, and puts the focus on the students strengths and how they learn best.  SAMR allows for this to happen.

Straight from the Big Dogs Mouth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6j8soDYoaw

In conclusion by letting the SAMR model guide you in diving into the ever changing world of technology educators can find ways to enhance the learning environment.  So pick up your type writer and chuck it out the window and open up the possibilities that our advancing technological world allow for.

A Journey through Instructional Design

When I started my first Online Teaching and Instructional Design course I was surprised by how little I knew about the process.  I had been teaching for a few years now and had the content knowledge solidly secured.  I had put little thought into the actual design portion of the course, which looking back now seems silly.  I had put the cart before the horse.  I had designed courses without ever looking at the nuts and bolts and details that go along with making a successful class.  While taking EDU 657 I learned I needed to slow down and look at the courses I develop piece by piece in order to enhance the learning opportunity of my students. 

Design Models

I had never heard of a design model.  ADDIE, SAM, UbD, UDL were just letters on a page.  I wrote this in my first blog post regarding design models:

“When I started an instructional design course a few short weeks ago I knew as much about instructional design modules as I did about speaking German.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  It all seemed so foreign to me.  I mean I kind of had been living in the country for many years as an adjunct instructor, but never had learned the language.  I had been fumbling from town to town trying to design courses with out ever taking time to find a tudor or buy a book.” 

I was fumbling and doing it very poorly.  I learned that I use UbD as a design model most often, and through the readings, discussions, and assignments I learned how I could begin to incorporate the other design models into my courses. 

I realized that maybe the answer isn’t using just one model, but a combination of models in order to relay the information in a manageable way that can be useful and individualized to our learners.  Each course and set of students is unique and we have to bring our full tool kit if we want to bring about positive outcomes. 

Feedback

I firmly believe that constructive feedback is vital and allows for growth.  All though it can be hard to swallow sometimes when we learn we have not done well, we must be willing to look at how we can improve in order to do our job well.  It also allows us to see our strengths.  We can be our own worst critics and we need to know it is ok to have pride and take pride in what we do. 

My main source of feedback has been our end of semester course evaluations.  I am really good at using this information to tweak a course for the next semester, and while this is a great source for looking at how we can grow and change a course in the future, it gives us little feedback for change in the present time.  From the use of the different design models I have learned that evaluation throughout the courses and design process is critical.  Moving forward I look to incorporate ways that I can evaluate my design as a develop content for a course as well as once the material is delivered how can I use evaluation and feedback to enhance the course on the next assignment. 

I also want to look at relying on my colleagues more.  I am lucky to work with professors who have many years under their belts as successful instructors.  Using them as a tool to grow would allow me to take success in the past and pair it with the new and exciting design tools I am learning today to create a winning design.

Individualized

The main goal of instruction is learning.  Merriam-Webster defines learning as:

“the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something”

“the activity of someone who learns”

“knowledge or skill gained from learning”

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learning

As instructors we have to find ways to make our instruction individualized so we can promote learning for all.  From taking this course I learned that we can and should use different platforms to present out material, assess or material, and evaluate our material in order to make sure we are doing our best to reach each student in our course.  This can be a time consuming process and hard at times, but in the future I hope to incorporate as many individualized opportunities for my students as possible, whether this be through incorporating more discussions, more visual aids within presentations, case studies, hands on assessment, research, or simply through having a conversation.   Any way that I can convey information to my students in a way that allows for growth and understanding I hope to do so. 

Conclusion 

Instructional design is a mountain and I feel that I have just scratched the surface.  I hope that I can get out the digging tools as my courses progress and begin to find deeper understanding of the design process and ways I can incorporate them into my pedagogy.  I have enjoyed learning about my strengths as an instructor.  One of those being that I use the UbD model well (I just now know the name), I accept feedback, I am organized and can design a course that allows for learning, and I have a passion for learning and watching my students succeed.  I look forward to turning my weaknesses of evaluation and feedback throughout the course, research, use of multiple design models, and individualization in to strengths along the way.  I cant wait to see what technology will unfold and look forward to how that will shape online learning and instructional design in the future. So grab your travel guide and lets learn a little more about this country.

Trending: Instructional Design

This week we look at the research behind instructional design (ID).  What are the trends, implications, and recommendations.  Now I know you are thinking instructional design trending?  Maybe not trending like Taylor Swift and her feud with Kanye West, but in a world where education is rapidly changing instructional design trends are sky rocketing.

ID a key component of education  

The common goal that ties education across subject areas is the outcome.  The outcome no matter the subject is always the same to present material to an audience, form achievable goals, and at the end of the educational experience have the audience walk away with the goals met.  With the increasing number of delivery methods available to instructors today a shift in the ID models must occur.

Research from shows that we may need to use a variety of ID models, or a revision of current models to achieve our instructional goals.  "As the number and diversity of ID practices grows, implicit doubts regarding the reliability, validity, and usefulness of OD models suggest the need for methodological guidance that would help to generate ID models that are relevant and appropriate to the ever-changing design challenges in our world."(Lee,J.,Jang,S. 2014) That sticking to one model instead of using a combination of models may not present desirable outcomes depending on the instructional setting and audience.  That perhaps there needs to be room to take a detour and that even though it may take you a few miles out of the way the straight path may not always be the best path.

Technology

"Inclusive and accessible education should aspire to include all learners. Mobile learning appears

to have the potential to do that. SMS and MMS technologies offer excellent opportunities to open

up education to many who have long been excluded from it. This effort, however, will involve

the development of creative techniques for relatively simple technologies and the design of

universally accessible educational materials for them."(Elias, T. 2011)

As the study above from Elias states the technology is available, and allowing for avenues for education that weren't there 10 years ago.  We have to be able to see the potential of online learning and how we can incorporate current technology to reach our students.

Educators must be able to evolve and adapt when looking at ID.  With the increasing number of students choosing a non-traditional setting for education research shows that taking the ADDIE model and adjusting it a blended course can bring about educational growth for students.  Online learning is not going away and we have to be able to adapt the current ID models to fit a technology driven world.  

Watch this video about how technology is incorporated in the 1st and 2nd grade.  Kids know more about technology than an adult at a young age and we must find ways to take advantage of this and use it in ID to enhance learning.

Also, here is an article regarding the use of technology in education in the 21st century.  

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6776

Learner Driven

One concept that was evident throughout the research is that education has become learner driven.  Online and blended learning environments are allowing for individualized instructional models that meet the needs of all learners.  It is no longer acceptable to teach to one type of learners, educators must use ID so that each student is presented and assessed on the information in a way that is individualized to their specific needs.  Although time consuming for the designer a structure that allows students to move at their own pace, interpret and be assessed on material in a variety of ways will lead to greater success and achievement of goals and outcomes.  

So what does all this mean?  Research shows that we have to look at our audience.  We must be willing to get a little lost and take the detour, knowing that by not taking just the straight path, i.e. one ID we are allowing for growth and greater design that will reap great benefits when applied to our courses.  Don't be afraid to take that detour, don't look back, but yet evolve and adapt because when you combine the best that ID has to offer the road trip is fun and successful for everyone!

References:

Elias, T. (2011, February). Universal Instructional Design Principles for Mobile Learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(2), 1-15.

Lee, J., & Jang, S. (2014). A methodological framework for instructional design model development: Critical dimensions and synthesized procedures. Education Tech Research Dev Educational Technology Research and Development, 62(6), 743-765. doi:10.1007/s11423-014-9352-7

Outcomes vs. Learners: Comparing Understand by Design (UbD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

When I started an instructional design course a few short weeks ago I knew as much about instructional design modules as I did about speaking German.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  It all seemed so foreign to me.  I mean I kind of had been living in the country for many years as an adjunct instructor, but never had learned the language.  I had been fumbling from town to town trying to design courses with out ever taking time to find a tudor or buy a book.  

The first assignment in the course addressed the different instructional design models and that is where I realized I had been using bits and pieces of multiple models (sometimes very poorly) without even knowing their names.  Once I took some time to learn the language this foreign country became much more interesting and the design process became more enjoyable.  

With a little bit of background in the models I found that all though each model has very similar and sometimes very different components the end goal is always the same.  Develop a product that is useful to the consumer.  In this post I will contrast two of those design models looking at those differences and how two things that are very different can get us to the same end goal.  Come along and explore a little bit of the foreign country side with me.

BACKGROUND:

http://nccscurriculum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/three-stages.jpg

Universal Design for Learning

http://www.theudlproject.com/blog/multiple-intelligences-and-udl

Let us Critique

UbD is a very structured form of design. For online courses where evaluation and adjusting are not as easy, or courses that have strict set outcomes that must be achieved UbD will make sure you check all the boxes. Criticized for being a "teach to the test" design model UbD is strictly focused on desired results and how to get there. This model will still allow for multiple ways of assessment and learning experiences, but the focus remains on the outcomes and whether the student can show acceptable performance on the assessment. This model may lead to less question sparking teaching moments due to the depth of the designed curriculum and lack of improvisation. There is substantial time, background knowledge, and prep work that must go into a course months before it is to go live in order to use the UbD model.  A timeline is very important in this model, and moving too far from the original timeline will lead to problems with instruction and assessment. This model when used appropriately can be effective in evoking deep understanding of concepts.  This design overall can make your head spin if you allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the extent of thought and preparation that has to go into making this model successful.  

UDL puts tremendous focus on the learning style of the student. This can be very complicated when designing a course.  N0t only do you have to design content to meet the individual needs of each student, you must also have multiple ways of assessing the students based on their individual learning styles.  This can be an enormous task when designing a course.  The amount pre-planning that must go into a course using UDL is tremendous.  Each topic taught and assessed would need multiple formats of delivery in order to meet the needs of all students.  This also could lead to labeling of students.  If a student is seen as a visual learner they may start to see this as a limit and become frustrated when put in a situation where they have to be auditory learners. Students need to be exposed to the ways they learn best, but also challenged to grow and become better learners no matter the setting.  For UDL to be successful flexibility has to exist and time to prepare the course in different manners has to be available.

Let us Compare

Both models start with a very different approach and end with the same result of meaningful instruction that gains desired results.  While the UbD focuses on goals and looks at what should be achieved while working backwards to obtain those goals, the UDL model keeps the students learning needs as top priority and finds ways to allow each individual students learning style to be assessed.  Depending on the instruction being provided each model will bring a number of pros and cons to the table.   The more I learn the more I am becoming an advocate for not using one single model of design.  When we take the best parts of multiple models it allows us to create instruction that becomes valuable to all learners and an easy process for instructors.  Hopefully these two models have become a little less foreign to you and you can start to see how they can benefit your specific teaching needs.  

Let us continue to pick up that travel guide and exploring those foreign countries.  Pack your bags and good luck on your instructional design journey.