eJournal Entry 7

When I first began this class I thought, “Oh no, not all the learning theories again”. I had such a difficult time separating them in ETEC 561.  In the beginning I saw myself as more of a of a Positivist, this seem to fit with the science background I had. However know I think of myself leaning more toward the cognitivist theory in my instructional design. This gives the learner a chance to “think”. It fits better with the constructivist activities I think students are more engaged in and  learn better using.

Probably the biggest I used to think moment came when we were asked to read the chapter “Unpacking Thinking” from the book Beyond Bloom by Ritchhart, Morrison and Church. Up until that point I used to think of understanding as being on the lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, but after that article, now I think understanding took on a whole new meaning. Understanding, the ability to act and think flexibly with what one knows” from the Teaching for Learning website. The definition really is a better fit for word.   I don’t think I will ever use the word again as a lower level skill, I will expect more of my learners when that word is used in a description.

I have a difficult time understanding the different theories or the different communication models by themselves  but when you asked to look at each and find flaws in them I then understood  better and why each one had a particular design.  I love the little stories into the background of each. From what I saw each had a particular purpose at the time.

I have really enjoyed this class and the discussions. I don’t think I have ever looked up so many theories and words I didn’t quite understand in my life. I have learned quite a bit and I understand why we discussed so many different topics which at first I had trouble understanding how they would all fit together. Now I think I understand.  And I use that in the sense that of “ability to act and think flexibly”.  

eJournal Entry 6

I have looked at media and materials this week finding the best fit to deliver my instructional strategies.

Media-I plan to deliver my instructional strategies with a Google website. Our school has recently redesigned their website and it is Google based. The affordances this will offer include using the same template as the junior high and the tutorial will be a link from the library page. The is easy to use and since it is Google; I will be able to embed Google document, presentations, videos, images and much more. I will also be able to create a form to use as feedback for the website. This will help me make revisions which are necessary.

Estimated Time-The time to complete the project should take about 50 hours. I am basing this estimate on the amount of work I have already completed, gathering information, resources, activities and developing media.  

Resources For The Project -

• School Library Setting
• Computers with Internet Access

Online Resources -

• Vimeo Video-“Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System”  https://vimeo.com/27866422
• Thinkquest website-“Do We Really Know Dewey?”  http://goo.gl/ctvtf  
• “Sell Me On Dewey”- http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4015
• Ebsco’s Student Research Center Tutorial-http://goo.gl/0llFf
• Ebsco’s Student Research Center-http://search.ebscohost.com/
• Destiny Card Catalog Sliderocket Presentation
• Mount Pleasant Destiny Card Catalog-destiny.mpisd.net

Activities -

• Order The Library
• Sell Me On Dewey
• Library Scavenger Hunt
• Glogster Presentation using Ebsco Resources

Handouts -

• Dewey Decimal System Categories
• Dewey Quiz

Rubrics -

• Sell Me On Dewey Rubric
• Glogster Activity Rubric

List of Team Members-The only team member I will need to assist me with this Instructional Design project will be SME. I chose the District Librarian for our campus to help me with performance objectives and the order of how these  activities are to be performed, in other words from the easiest to the hardest. The school will supply the template to be used, I will receive training from the district on adding graphics. Most tutorials I chose were 
pre-existing although I did design one myself.

Plan for evaluation, maintenance, and update of the instructional materials-A Google document will be available on the website for an evaluation after the tutorial is complete. It will ask such questions as:
1. How easy was it to navigate through the site and find each activity?
2. Were all links working?
3. Were you able to understand the instructions?  How could this be revised if needed?
4. Do you feel the tutorials increased your knowledge of the resources in the library?
5. What other areas in building knowledge and skills would you like to see a tutorial?
The website will be monitored daily in the beginning for maintenance.  Revisions will be made every two weeks based on the type of feedback that is received.  Updates will be will be scheduled each month if available.

List of approvals to be acquired before development begins-Approvals will be secured from Campus administrators and the District Librarian.

Plan for testing and quality assurance- I plan to test this tutorial before the end of the year with one 7th grade Reading class. I have discussed this with the instructor and she is very receptive to the idea. She thinks even though it is near the end of the year, her students will still benefit from the lessons and they will understand even more next year about the library resources once school begins. At the end of the tutorials I will have students fill out the evaluation forms, share these with the campus administrators and make needed revisions.

eJournal Entry 5

Critiquing each other’s Instructional Design Document helped me to narrow the focus of my instructional goal. For the purpose this project my instructional goal is:

Students will show understanding of the use online tutorials, in order to gain the necessary library skills needed to successfully use the resources in the school library.

My Instructional Strategy involves using online media with three different instructional presentations that will inform users how the Dewey Decimal System is setup, how to search for books using the card system Destiny in addition to properly searching for information using the Ebsco databases. Students will then have an opportunity to use this information in various parts of the library.

I will draw on cognitivist approach using multimedia then a variety of constructivist activities to further aid in learning. The Instructional Design with will begin with an online tutorial consisting of presentations, instructions and activities. This will be followed by constructivist activities to aid in learning. To help me identify these methods I looked at:

1) Motivation - In order to motivate the students and interest them about the tutorials, I will have teachers bring their classes to the library. This will vary the environment from the classroom setting. This material will be presented at the beginning of the year, and for many of these students they will be in a new learning environment. The material will also not be the usual subjects they study, and it is designed for them to be successful and feel confident in the library.  Seventh grade students move to the Junior High School after the fifth grade and a new school with a different atmosphere is always exciting. After viewing the information there will be activities using one or two partners to aid in learning. This will let students move around the library, work with others and explore the books and resources. They will also have time practice using the card catalog.

2) Prerequisite and Sub-skills - My tutorial will be combination of three different areas which are necessary to search for books and finding information in the library. Each tutorial will be discussed separately:

a.)The prerequisites for the first tutorial are knowledge of using a computer and understanding the layout of the library.  I feel from working with other students in the past that they will be well acquainted with both. Sub-skills developed during this tutorial will include developing critical thinking, vocabulary and categorizing skills.

b.)The next tutorial will be on the Destiny Card Catalog system. The prerequisites for this tutorial will be the same, basic knowledge of the computer and the layout of the library. Sub-skills developed with this tutorial will help develop vocabulary, learning and memory skills.

c.)The final tutorial will cover the Ebsco Databases.  The prerequisites for this tutorial will be knowledge of the computer databases and letter writing skills. Sub-skills developed will include development of accessing information, critical thinking, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation. 

3.) Practice and Feedback - Each tutorial will be discussed separately:

a.)The practice for the first tutorial will involve learning about the Dewey Decimal System. Students will first begin with a tutorial of the Dewey Decimal System.They will watch a Vimeo production, Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System. Next they will then visit the Thinkquest website Do We Really Know Dewey? They will click on the link Pre-Dew Review and begin by learning about Fiction and Non Fiction. Then they will click on the link for Dewey and the Alien to learn more about each Non Fiction Category. To check for understanding, students will complete the Dewey quiz, the instructor will then assign one to two partners to work on a commercial project for one Non Fiction Section.  This will be in the form of Windows Movie Maker, Slide Rocket or other media of their choice that involves pictures and audio. Feedback will be in the form of a rubric. Each student will receive a rubric based on the video activity noting strengths and weaknesses.

b.)This tutorial will involve students learning about the card catalog system Destiny. They will first view a Sliderocket presentation of the Destiny system and how to access location and key information for different books. Students will play the game “Order in the Library” .  When students feel confident finding materials on the library shelves they will then complete a scavenger hunt with a partner to find various resources in the library. Feedback will be successfully completing the scavenger hunt and checking answers for understanding. The sheets will be graded and returned to students to save as a resource.

c.)  The third tutorial will involve students will viewing a presentation prepared by Ebsco on using the Student Research Center. They will then practice the skills they have learned searching the databases for information needed for an assignment involving writing a persuasive letter. This letter addressed to a US Senator or US Representative will explaining the difficulties students are having in the classroom with limited technology using research to back up arguments.  Feedback will be in the form of a rubric. Each student will receive a copy of the rubric with all areas graded but special interest will be shown on the research used in the letter, noting the relevance of the information used.

eJournal Entry 4

After researching each step in the analysis section, I believe my Instructional Design model should address visual, auditory and tactile learners.  The auditory aspect will help the students will poor reading skills, the visuals will give students a mental picture to make connections with written material and the tactile activities will give students a chance to explore the new information they have learned. 

My overall goal or the Instructional Design model is:

                   Students will show understanding of the use online tutorials, consisting of
             presentations, instructions and activities, in order to gain the necessary

                   library skills needed to successfully use the resources in the school library.

However I need to address each section in the model separately with its own goal. For each lesson in the Instructional Design Model the sub-goals are:

• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the organization of the library and the major informational using the Dewey Decimal System.  

• Students will employ the features of the Destiny Card Catalog to locate materials in the Library Media Center.

• Students will utilize the applications in Ebsco’s Research Center in order for them to identify, organize, evaluate and communicate information for educational and real-world applications.

Right now I feel like I help the majority of students search for books and materials.  I want them to be more independent, not for my sake but to help themselves.  I don’t think they have any idea of what is expected in high school or college and I want them to be prepared. The type of thinking I want to promote in my library will be one that will lead students to search for materials and experiences that will empower students to be lifelong learners.  I want them to correctly utilize the resources we have to actively seek out knowledge and be able to locate, retrieve, evaluate, and productively use information from a wide variety of sources.

After a little research on “disciplinary understanding”, I understand what types of thinking will produce this understanding. To review quickly I found this website I felt was along the same lines as Ritchhart, Morrison and Church. The article “Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage the World” stated “Rigorous disciplinary understanding requires that students come to view the disciplines as the knowledge and thinking tools that our societies construct and revise to make sense of the world, explain phenomena, solve problems, create products, and ask novel questions in informed ways. Understanding a discipline thus involves understanding not only key disciplinary concepts, but also understanding how such concepts are produced with the aid of disciplinary methods, how they can be applied, and how knowledge in the discipline is best communicated”.  The types of thinking to cultivate in students which will help achieve this understanding are

Critical Thinkers - this is convergent thinking where learners assess the worth and validity of something. It involves precise, persistent and objective analysis.  Learner can work together to develop a common understanding.
Creative or Innovative Thinking - this involves divergent thinking.  Learners work to generate something new or different.  They test new ideas or work as well or better than previous ideas. These learners also have new ways of approaching things that lead to new possibilities.
Conceptual Thinking - allows you to find connections or patterns between abstract ideas and put them together.
Intuitive Thinking - taking what you perceive or sense to be true and use it in the final decision.

Since I have been in education all of my administrators have asked for our lesson plans focus in this area.  They want our students to think past just the facts and use the information they learn to make other connections and develop a deeper understanding of the subject.

eJournal Entry 3

I need to add a bit of information I think I left out from my last post. The school where I will be completing the Instructional Design for is mostly Hispanic (61%), White (24%) and Black (14%). The other 1% is Asian and Native Americans. The learner population I will designing the model for are male and female 7th and 8th grade students whose ages range from 12-15 years. 

At the beginning of the year they all are eager to be at a new school.  Their first visit to the library is always an exciting one as they see the new books we have and the activities and resources we have available.  When I explain about the Destiny Card Catalog System, the Dewey Decimal system and how to locate books in the library they just appear to be lost.  The students are aware of the cataloging system they just do not know how to use it on their own nor do they have any knowledge of Dewey.  They understand there is an order we use but they don’t understand how Dewey is involved or how the system works. The Ebsco databases are not used until later in the year but having an understanding now will prepare them when the time comes to use the resource.

All of our students love electronic devices (computers, Ipads and cell phones) and have a strong knowledge base to support their use.  Class assignments which use are very motivating.  They are also very computer literate and love working with programs that are geared toward something they are interested in and interactive.  I believe they will react positively to the design model since this is a topic that will help them become more independent in the library.

These students on the 2011 TAKS test scored very well, Math-80%, Reading-86% and Writing -95%.  The results for the new STARR test  in 2012 were much lower probably due to the new format and style of questioning.  The results were not listed but our principal said they fell around of 25 -30% for each subject.  Our learners tend to be very social,  they have varied interests, are visual learners with short attention spans. I plan to use a Cognitive Apprenticeship in my instructional design.  I believe as the textbook states (p.136) “the important aspect of this approach is for the learner to operate as a ‘member of a larger community of practice” and through this they will “begin to assume greater responsibilities  in that community”. 

After some research on mental models, I believe I understand how they would affect the instructional design. According to the article,  “Visualizing Mental Models: Understanding Cognitive Change to Support  Teaching and Learning of Multimedia Design and Development”, the author defines mental models as “ having become known as a summation of all of a person's thoughts and understandings on a subject.. . . . Mental models are incomplete, unstable, easily confused, and based on superstition instead of scientific fact. Despite these limitations, mental models play a very important role in understanding human cognitive change”.  I believe the students have some knowledge on The Dewey System, Destiny, and Databases.  The information I present will only help the students organize and and regroup the new information to fit with the old and put into some sort of order so they find it helpful when they use the library.  It will clarify what they already know.

________________________________
MPJH 2011 AEIS:
http://mpisdjhs.sharpschool.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6676955/File/Accountability/2011%20AEIS%20JH.pdf
Mt. Pleasant ISD District Statistics
http://www.mpisd.net/information/district_profile/district_statistics/
“Visualizing Mental Models: Understanding Cognitive Change to Support Teaching and Learning of Multimedia Design and Development”
http://itforum.coe.uga.edu/paper111/McNeil.pdf

eJournal Entry 2

This past week I put a lot of thought into Design Analysis, Needs Assessment and Analyzing Context.  Many times I felt one area running into another so in order to correct this I research what other people had to say about the components of each section.  By Friday, I felt I understood what was needed and the project seem to have a natural flow.

Design Analysis - An instructional website to address the library skills needed of seventh and eighth grade junior high students.  This would include lessons using the card catalog system Destiny, locating books in the library and correctly using the research resources we have available.  

Needs Assessment - I was inspired to create this program after my own observations of a lack of knowledge about the Dewey System, the card catalog and a discussion with the District Librarian about the number of students who come to the high school and do not use the resources we have for research.  These are skills students the help they need to be successful in the junior high, in high school and later in college.  This training on Dewey, Destiny, the card catalog and the location of books in the library would be offered online at the beginning of the year by reading teachers and the Ebsco training could be offered later in the year before the English teachers begin research projects.  The lessons could be completed in the library on an individual basis or the computer lab as a class I would teach.  All of these students understand how to use a computers therefore setting up a tutorial they could use first as a lesson and later as a guide would be beneficial to all students.

Analyzing Context - Our library, built in 1996, is located in Mt. Pleasant, Tx.  The overall tone of the library is very inviting.  The colors used are aqua and purple with muted yellow walls for accent.  These colors were recommended for the entire building the school and are agreed upon by Margaret Bush in her journal article “Library Facilities for Children”.  She stated, “In general, the library media center should be a warm, welcoming color”.  Children tend to check out more books in these color tones unlike libraries that are painted bright reds and yellows.  There are two small reading sections for students to read quietly alone, internet accessed computers and tables for classes that visit.  The books are located around the walls of the library in well marked sections to help students.  Our district and school leaders believes that the library is a place where students can learn to love books and reading.  They want these students to have access to knowledge and information that will enrich their lives and the world around them.  This meets with the district's mission: Every child has every chance to learn.

Our school administrators are very concerned with the low reading levels of these students. The majority of our students are from homes that are economically disadvantaged, eighty-five percent, in addition to thirty-five percent that are limited English proficient. These  administrators also recognize the social factors from this area that play a role in these problems.  Many students come from families that suffer from unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low income, single parent families and poor housing.  Even though the majority of these students were born in the United States many come from families that moved from Mexico in hopes of creating a better life for themselves.  However these life situations our students face still have an effect on their outlook of school.  So many do not think it will be relevant to their lives later or they do not know the services schools have that could help them.  The majority are factual or procedural learners who have difficulties making connections between concepts. To help students, extra programs and tutoring programs have been set up to give these students the help they need in reading comprehension and math to succeed in their classes.   

This Instructional Design would be a set of tutorials, videos and instructions that would benefit students using the resources in the library.  This would include needed skills to locate needed materials. This website would be available from any computer with an internet connection, however the best location would be to access the tutorial from the library. Students would probably be able to make better connections between the lesson taught and the materials in the library. I would also be able to answer any questions they may have as a soon to be certified librarian.

eJournal Entry 1

Courtesy of emergingreaders.com

The Instructional Design Project I have been considering involves making a tutorial for our campus library. This would include learning about the Dewey Decimal System, how our books are categorized, the card catalog system and the databases available. At the beginning of each year I use a short PowerPoint to explain about our library since it is a new campus for 7th grade. It also refreshes the memory of those returning 8th graders. However when I get to the part about the library using the Dewey Decimal System so many of the students look lost. And it gets even worse when I talk about Destiny the card catalog system.  Now I know the whole district uses this system, so they must be somewhat familiar with how this works. The next year I added a short section to the PowerPoint about the Dewey System and how to use Destiny, but that is really not enough. Students need to sit down and read about each resource our library has and practice using them including the Ebsco Databases. These students are in Middle School now and a big part of High School is research and writing papers.  My design project is being designed due to the fact no training of this type exists. The tutorial will be short lessons and activities that students can work through as part of their English class.  They will address using the Dewey Decimal System locating books in the library, using the Destiny Card Catalog and locating information using the Ebsco databases. These lessons will be new and I hope to have them available through the library webpage in order for students to always have access to them later after they have completed the lessons.

I believe this is occurring because no one has taken time over the years to explain small parts about the library or how it is arranged to students. Now I am relatively new at this job but I know many of them do not know who Mr. Dewey is or about his system.  They just know books are arranged. I have heard one school library in our district organizes their library much like a book store, according to categories. I have also explained about the card catalog system, but still so many hesitate to use it because they don’t understand how easy it is to use and that they can use it from home to look for books. The same reasoning applies to the databases, they have never been explained before or they do not have enough experience using them.  I see so many students heading straight for Google and the databases would make searching for what they need so much easier.

This could be happening because the campuses with younger students only have Library Aides.  They are not even teachers.  Without the proper training they are just not aware of educating students on the importance of the resources available in the library. These library assistants must give the students enough information to navigate their way through the library.  I have seen a couple of library aids at library workshops but I have heard others say their principal will not allow them to go. I guess they must just be responsible for checking out books and reshelving them in addition to helping teachers.

One other reason for the lack of knowledge about the library resources could be due to a language barrier. Even though many of them speak English, I can still see them struggle with the correct words or they may not understand how to ask for what they need.  Our campus receives each year so many students who suffer from low reading skills.

And a final reason which relates to the language barrier. Many of these children may come from homes where the parents have ever taken them to a public library.  The school library may be all they have ever known.  And when they arrive at the middle school our arrangement of resources and books may look like a whole new world to them.

This process was so helpful.  I now understand what I was not able to for so long; why students came to our campus with hardly any knowledge of basically how a library was run or any other the resources we have available.  Now I do have some students who seem very familiar with the library but for the most part the others are lost.  This will help me focus my project just on the needs of the 7th and 8th grade students, especially the ones the have poor reading skills or a language barrier.  I had never thought about that until I began to answer the questions.  I too often take for granted what I think they should know at this age.  I need to realize that many times if I will take a few steps back with students, they can catch them up to speed of the the others. My purpose is basically the same-to educate them on the use of the Dewey Decimal System, the organization of books in the library, the Destiny Card Catalog System and the Ebsco databases. But the textbook also brought out one good point, "Attitudes are important predictors not only of motivation towards learning, but also of how much is learned and the extent to which the material is transferred to other settings"(p.26). I understand now that it may have to start out very basic with simple applications but that will help students understand the basics and work from there. I need to set up the instruction in a way these students will understand the importance and how they can use these new skills later in life also. These resources are not difficult to use, it will just take practice and then putting the new skills to use.