Instructional Design: REfections
Week 1: Design with Learning in Mind
As the course started, I was very nervous. I had thought that an instructional design course would be about building the course - the computer side of things. This is not one of my strengths. I am very slow at figuring out how to use new technologies. My fears were quickly erased after diving into the readings. I was excited to find out that this course would be about the thought process that goes into designing a course. This class will help us create the blueprint for the course. Building the physical course would be done in our own time.
Week 2: Mapping the Future
Module 2 was all about objectives. We were presented several questions to pick from. I chose to answer the questions that referenced deciding what to let go of in your course. This is a challenge I face in my traditional classroom every year. After going through the readings for the week, I was drawn to the ideas of engagement and differentiation. If you can engage students in the learning process, then they will make choices that will challenge themselves. The challenge is providing different different types of activities that will engage all students.
We also spent time working on objectives for our course. The reading really stressed the importance of instructional objectives that could be measured and used in aligning assessments and activities. We were presented with the idea of ABCD objectives. This was a new idea for me, but one that I am really excited to use. The simplicity of the idea speaks to me. Using this approach, I completed form 6, which allowed me to decide on the different modules for my course as well as writing quality instructional objectives that would direct the remainder of my work.
Week 3: Designing for Assessment
Module 3 was all about formative feedback versus evaluations. The readings did a great job of highlighting the differences. This is an area that I feel comfortable with in my traditional classroom, but I struggled with at the beginning of the week in relation to an online environment. My challenge or concerns with an online environment is providing helpful feedback in a timely manner to students in a way that is helpful. I feel like math is a subject that needs face time. Seeing students’ expressions as you go over problems helps show if students truly understand the concepts. Transitioning this to an online environment requires creativity.
After spending time completing the two forms for the week (6.2 and 7). I started to feel more comfortable. The goal of these two forms was to help align the assessments with the objectives and to spend time thinking about the best ways students would learn and what successful learning would look like. I'm definitely gaining confidence when it comes to the idea of transitioning to an online environment.
Week 4: Active and Engaged Learning
I continued to work on course alignment in module four. I did this by completing form 6.3, a design chart for alignment. This form was based on William Horton's model of Absorb-Do-Connect. I was very excited to learn about this. It was so simple yet very effective. By understanding this model, I can ensure active and engaged learning will take place in my course. After reading about this model, I took a mastery quiz. This quiz gave me the opportunity to fine tune my understanding. I was able to match different activities with absorb, do, or connect. Not only did this give me an opportunity to practice, I was able to take the quiz as many times as I needed in order to assess my understanding. After I demonstrated mastery of this concept, I completed from 6.3. This ensured that my course would follow Horton's model. It was a great learning experience.
Week 5: Aligning Instructional Strategies
In module 5, I worked on creating learning guides as well as a syllabus for the course. Although the idea of a learning guide was new to me, I found myself prepared to create it. I had seen examples throughout this course, so I knew what was expected. They had already been modeled for me. In addition, I had been preparing to create them all along, even if I didn't realize it. The many forms I had been working through had prepared me for creating learning guides. I had put the thought and energy into planning the course, this was just a new way of formalizing that information.
The most exciting part of this module was creating a graphic syllabus. I am almost embarrassed to say that I had never thought of this before. As a teacher, I have created numerous traditional syllabus. I am a visual learner, as are many of my students. The graphic syllabus really spoke to me. It allowed me to present important information in a visually pleasing format. This is definitely something I am going to continue to use in all of my classrooms.
Week 6: Designing Content
I continued to work through the design process in module 6. I learned about chunking. Although this was a new word to me, I quickly realized this is something I already do in my traditional classroom. It's simply a matter of splitting the information up into smaller pieces. This gives students the opportunity to process the information. I used form 10 to think through these different pieces of information as well as the transitions from one to another.
The discussion question I chose to answer for the week was: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using ready-made content in your course design? One of the activities in module 6 was to find a learning object - a ready-made tool that I could use in my course. As I was searching for this, I came to two realizations. First, there is a lot of information available to use. I do not need to create everything myself. Second, none of the ready-make materials are perfect. They do not have the same personal touch as something I create myself. They do not always follow the same path I would chose to take. In designing this course, I realize I can't do everything myself in the beginning. I will need to rely on ready-made materials in order to survive. As time passes, I can replace these materials with things I create.
Week 7: Designing for Best Practice
Module 7 was fun! I was given the opportunity to watch videos of exemplary courses. At first, watching the videos was a bit intimidating. I was comparing my current course to these exemplary courses. I wasn't even in the same league! It took a bit of reflection to realize that was to be expected. All course have to start somewhere, and that is where I was at, the beginning. It was a great insight into different ways to design a quality course.
I then had four rubrics to select from. As a K-12 teacher, I chose the NACOL rubric since it was designed specifically for K-12 courses. After reviewing the video of the courses, I used the rubric to score the course. This gave me the opportunity to work with the rubric and really understand the different components.
Week 8: Final Touches
This was like the final mile of a marathon. I knew the finish line was close, but I still had some work to do. Module 8 was all about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In my previous course, I had spent some time on this subject. I thought I understood it well. I was mistaken. This module involved a self-paced tutorial. I found this to be not only be an informative experience, but also a reflective experience. I was able to really understand what is mean by UDL. In addition to this, I was given the opportunity to reflect on my own life experiences in relation to UDL. It turns out that my challenging childhood has benefited me greatly in terms of understanding UDL.
In addition to working on the tutorial, this week was all about finishing our e-portfolios. I had a few final touches to add to this project. I spent time going through each of the pages of my portfolio. I am amazed with the amount of information I have learning in just 8 short weeks.
As the course started, I was very nervous. I had thought that an instructional design course would be about building the course - the computer side of things. This is not one of my strengths. I am very slow at figuring out how to use new technologies. My fears were quickly erased after diving into the readings. I was excited to find out that this course would be about the thought process that goes into designing a course. This class will help us create the blueprint for the course. Building the physical course would be done in our own time.
Week 2: Mapping the Future
Module 2 was all about objectives. We were presented several questions to pick from. I chose to answer the questions that referenced deciding what to let go of in your course. This is a challenge I face in my traditional classroom every year. After going through the readings for the week, I was drawn to the ideas of engagement and differentiation. If you can engage students in the learning process, then they will make choices that will challenge themselves. The challenge is providing different different types of activities that will engage all students.
We also spent time working on objectives for our course. The reading really stressed the importance of instructional objectives that could be measured and used in aligning assessments and activities. We were presented with the idea of ABCD objectives. This was a new idea for me, but one that I am really excited to use. The simplicity of the idea speaks to me. Using this approach, I completed form 6, which allowed me to decide on the different modules for my course as well as writing quality instructional objectives that would direct the remainder of my work.
Week 3: Designing for Assessment
Module 3 was all about formative feedback versus evaluations. The readings did a great job of highlighting the differences. This is an area that I feel comfortable with in my traditional classroom, but I struggled with at the beginning of the week in relation to an online environment. My challenge or concerns with an online environment is providing helpful feedback in a timely manner to students in a way that is helpful. I feel like math is a subject that needs face time. Seeing students’ expressions as you go over problems helps show if students truly understand the concepts. Transitioning this to an online environment requires creativity.
After spending time completing the two forms for the week (6.2 and 7). I started to feel more comfortable. The goal of these two forms was to help align the assessments with the objectives and to spend time thinking about the best ways students would learn and what successful learning would look like. I'm definitely gaining confidence when it comes to the idea of transitioning to an online environment.
Week 4: Active and Engaged Learning
I continued to work on course alignment in module four. I did this by completing form 6.3, a design chart for alignment. This form was based on William Horton's model of Absorb-Do-Connect. I was very excited to learn about this. It was so simple yet very effective. By understanding this model, I can ensure active and engaged learning will take place in my course. After reading about this model, I took a mastery quiz. This quiz gave me the opportunity to fine tune my understanding. I was able to match different activities with absorb, do, or connect. Not only did this give me an opportunity to practice, I was able to take the quiz as many times as I needed in order to assess my understanding. After I demonstrated mastery of this concept, I completed from 6.3. This ensured that my course would follow Horton's model. It was a great learning experience.
Week 5: Aligning Instructional Strategies
In module 5, I worked on creating learning guides as well as a syllabus for the course. Although the idea of a learning guide was new to me, I found myself prepared to create it. I had seen examples throughout this course, so I knew what was expected. They had already been modeled for me. In addition, I had been preparing to create them all along, even if I didn't realize it. The many forms I had been working through had prepared me for creating learning guides. I had put the thought and energy into planning the course, this was just a new way of formalizing that information.
The most exciting part of this module was creating a graphic syllabus. I am almost embarrassed to say that I had never thought of this before. As a teacher, I have created numerous traditional syllabus. I am a visual learner, as are many of my students. The graphic syllabus really spoke to me. It allowed me to present important information in a visually pleasing format. This is definitely something I am going to continue to use in all of my classrooms.
Week 6: Designing Content
I continued to work through the design process in module 6. I learned about chunking. Although this was a new word to me, I quickly realized this is something I already do in my traditional classroom. It's simply a matter of splitting the information up into smaller pieces. This gives students the opportunity to process the information. I used form 10 to think through these different pieces of information as well as the transitions from one to another.
The discussion question I chose to answer for the week was: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using ready-made content in your course design? One of the activities in module 6 was to find a learning object - a ready-made tool that I could use in my course. As I was searching for this, I came to two realizations. First, there is a lot of information available to use. I do not need to create everything myself. Second, none of the ready-make materials are perfect. They do not have the same personal touch as something I create myself. They do not always follow the same path I would chose to take. In designing this course, I realize I can't do everything myself in the beginning. I will need to rely on ready-made materials in order to survive. As time passes, I can replace these materials with things I create.
Week 7: Designing for Best Practice
Module 7 was fun! I was given the opportunity to watch videos of exemplary courses. At first, watching the videos was a bit intimidating. I was comparing my current course to these exemplary courses. I wasn't even in the same league! It took a bit of reflection to realize that was to be expected. All course have to start somewhere, and that is where I was at, the beginning. It was a great insight into different ways to design a quality course.
I then had four rubrics to select from. As a K-12 teacher, I chose the NACOL rubric since it was designed specifically for K-12 courses. After reviewing the video of the courses, I used the rubric to score the course. This gave me the opportunity to work with the rubric and really understand the different components.
Week 8: Final Touches
This was like the final mile of a marathon. I knew the finish line was close, but I still had some work to do. Module 8 was all about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In my previous course, I had spent some time on this subject. I thought I understood it well. I was mistaken. This module involved a self-paced tutorial. I found this to be not only be an informative experience, but also a reflective experience. I was able to really understand what is mean by UDL. In addition to this, I was given the opportunity to reflect on my own life experiences in relation to UDL. It turns out that my challenging childhood has benefited me greatly in terms of understanding UDL.
In addition to working on the tutorial, this week was all about finishing our e-portfolios. I had a few final touches to add to this project. I spent time going through each of the pages of my portfolio. I am amazed with the amount of information I have learning in just 8 short weeks.