Design for Instruction

Teaching with Technology Chapter 7 (pages 159-173) Design for Instruction By Kerry Bonugli

Information Processes Credit cards – Conceptualization of money. Symbolizes purchasing power. Mechanics – Mechanics rooting around under the hood of a car has gave way to using electronic diagnostic tools. Nurse – Traditional bed side nursing gives way to monitoring banks of LCDs with patient information and vitals

Information Overload / Explosion • More information in the last 30 years than in the previous 5,000 • Over 1000 book titles published each day • Information in the field of Science doubles every 5.5 years • Total printed information doubles every 8 years (Naisbitt, 1982)

What does it all mean? • Information age forces us to deal with an insurmountable quantity of information at an accelerated rate. • Stress related heal problems such as Information fatigue syndrome or I.F.S. have become an actuality • digestion problems • heart problems • hyper tension • high blood pressure • Sleep disorders

Is this a losing battle? More and more learners are forced into dealing with issues that make coping with new information difficult if near impossible. • New information on a daily baisis • Students cannot “learn it all” • Students are being expected to learn more at an accelerated rate and at a much earlier age. “We might all be in jeopardy of ‘drowning in information while remaining starved for knowledge’ (Naisbitt, 1982)”

How to cope with the overload… • Be your own filter • Be economical about what you say online • Embrace simplicity (ordered knowledge) • De-nichify (avoid being overly specialized, less jargon for the sake of jargon) • Demand government move toward informed public policy that uses I.T. to protect freedoms and limit inappropriate excess Shenk’s five acecdotes for dealing with I.O.

Teaching information Literacy… • Recognize that accurate/complete information is necessary for intelligent decision making • Formulate relevant questions based on needed information • Evaluate information • Organize information for practical application • Use information in critical thinking and problem solving

So what is an educator to do? • …creating opportunities to help learners search for and locate information that might be important to them • …helping students work through, interpret and judge for themselves the validity of information. • …helping students use the information that is available to “create order” of their experiences and derive new understanding • …helping students to communicate their new understanding. Today’s educator is challenged with…

So what is an educator to do? • Curriculum has shifted from knowledge and skills to problem solving and critical thinking. • Role of the educator has changed from disseminator of knowledge and skills to the role of a coach or mentor • Learners have shifted from passive knowledge receptacles to those engaged in constructing knowledge and meaning and personalizing it • Educational institutions have shifted to an environment that fosters real-world learning based on open networks of knowledge Trends of thought…

The Integrated vs. Process Approach • Integrated Approach – • “ Here is a car, and I’ll show you how to fix it using certain tools.” • Subject Area and Classroom learning tied to real world needs • Change from traditional isolated, bibliographic instruction • Moves away from teaching the use of tools and more towards accomplishing the give task with the tools • Learning is transferable across all setting/subjects so creation of new instructional units or courses is unnecessary

The Integrated vs. Process Approach • Process Approach – • Process of coping with locating, accessing, and using a variety of information sources • Emphasizes transferable cognitive skills that help increase the learners ability to effectively use information, reference materials, online databases, and internet resources. • Is thought to be more effective than traditional individual resource based approaches

Process Models

Becoming Information Users - SSCC • Today's learner must be taught the tool to be able to manage information properly through properly designed instruction. • This instruction should allow the learners to do the following… • Search • Sort and Judge • Create • Communicate

Becoming Information Users - SSCC • Searching for Information: • Appropriate methods for Searching should be used. (DVD, Internet, card catalog, electronic databases, hypermedia, etc.) • Right tool for the right job (general topics, use an encyclopedia, not the Internet. • Boolean Internet searches to narrow information down • Specialized search tools for specific topics (Medical clearing house for journals pertaining to medicine and the field)

Becoming Information Users - SSCC • Sorting out and Judging Information: • Sorting out extraneous information • Questioning the validity of the information (websites, wikis, • journals, etc.) • Cross checking information across multiple sources • Verify usefulness of the information

Any Questions?!?

Bibliography Norton , Priscilla, and Wilburg Karin. Teaching with Technology Designing Opportunities to Learn. 2nd. Toronto, Canada: Thompson Learning, 2003. 168-174. Print. Photograph Credits http://conceptualist.com http://www.kollewin.com http://whoseeswhat.org.uk http://www.stresstips.com/?p=968

Design for Instruction