Section 7 New Directions in IDT

1. What learning goals or objectives could the technologies you selected help learners foster? How can the technology facilitate attainment of that learning goal better than traditional instruction? How soon will you adopt or implement the chosen technology to your instruction or work? How can design concepts or principles apply to your preparation? What would be difficult or challenging, if any, and what is your strategy to resolve or alleviate them?

Digital Games or Simulations
With games and simulations I have learned that learners tend to have an involvement in the lesson that they may not normally have during a regular instruction. Playing a game ignites something different in the mind of a lecture or something close to the sort. With games and/or simulations learners feel the need to keep their mind up to speed with the task at hand. Games are occasionally used in my classroom to help my students to review information and to help me assess if the lesson I presented was successful. Since my curriculum is so broad and I can really teach it anyway I would like I tend to only do review games when I feel that the students may be struggling with a certain area or if they aren't as engaged in the activity as I would like for them to be. The only difficulty that may come with this is making sure that the students won't get too used to only participating or being engaged when a game is present.

Reusable design or learning objects
There's no secret that I like to refer to my class as "Life 101." I only do this because I try to teach my students valuable lessons that they may be able to use in the long run. One life lesson that I feel that I have to continue to teach each of my students is how other subjects will benefit them in the future. I allow students to come to me with homework lessons from that of other subjects and I try to help them as best I can. In my own curriculum I inform students that what type of subjects they need to be strong in in order to be successful in certain careers. This way I still tying in other subjects with my curriculum and students get a chance to actually see why their success in the other subjects are important.

2. Section IX focuses on issues related to instructional design, rather than new technologies: professional ethics, diversity and accessibility, the nature of design, and providing instructional guidance. Select two chapters that you find most relevant or interesting. For the technologies you selected above, discuss how each of those two chapters can apply from this section (e.g., What ethical issues using the technology might present. Does the technology enhance or impose accessibility and accommodate diverse learning needs? How and/or can you design more effective instruction or learning using that technology? How much guidance would instruction with that technology require? What kinds of guidance would be necessary?)

Chapter 30 and Chapter 33 relate best to the technologies that I have chosen. Both show great reflection on what I try to teach in my day-to-day instruction. Children love games so I always try to throw them in to keep my students engaged and involved in the lessons. On the other hand I use cross-curriculum references to make connections that my students can appreciate. This approach tends to help my students who may be low achievers look at lessons differently and may ignite them to try to put their best foot forward during instruction. These techniques don't require too much deviation from a lesson that may already be planned (I tend to be quick on my feet). You just need to be willing to understand your students and how to reach them in the classroom. Once you have learned them, implications to help them learn won't be too hard to change on the spot to make your lesson effective.