Instructional+Design+Course+Reflection

There were two things that were pointed out to me in this course that has made a lasting impact on how I not only teach but develop my lessons. The first bit of information came out of one of the readings; “An essential act of our profession is the crafting of curriculum and learning experiences to meet specified purposes” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p.13). Thinking on these words what I have learned that it is important that I set out a goal of what I want my kids to accomplish from my class. Working from there I can develop a better lesson. The second important piece of information that made an impact on me was that as a teacher it is important to recognize how much of an impact previous knowledge will have on how successful my students will be in my class. It is important that I then try to investigate to find out what my students bring with them when they enter my class so that I can prepare for the challenges that might arise due to any misgivings that they may have. As one writer states, “Consider the challenge of working with children who believe the earth is flat and attempting to help them understand that it is spherical.” (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000, p.10) From the information that I’ve received not only will I become a better educator but I will also be able to add another dimension to the courses that I teach such as designing and implementing an online course. I believe that this is a skill that is beneficial to educators of all levels for the primary reason that we live in an age where information is acquired and shared electronically. The students that we have in our classrooms are “techie-babies” meaning that we need to teach them using tools that they can identify with. Online learning also allows for differentiated instruction where students can learn at their own pace and level. In learning how to create an online course I can now become more of a facilitator where I can place my lessons and lectures online where the students can assess them at anytime. This will allow me to give more one-to-one time with those who grasp certain concepts slower as well as monitor my students work better. More time can now be devoted to having my students implementing what they have learned and less time being spent on lecturing. The assignments from this class were very thought provoking and they usually required me to do some thorough research both online and through interviews with those with more experience than I. Developing an online course required me to take into account who would take the classes, the resources available to them and how much time was sufficient enough for the students to have in order to complete any assignments that were given. I basically used what I was currently doing on my campus to develop my online class which proved to be very helpful. I went as far as to try to have my students try to log on to the system but that proved unsuccessful however this is something that I will build on and try to implement as time goes on.

Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. ;(2005); Understanding By Design; Alexandria, VA; Association for Supervision & Curriculum  Development

Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R.; (2000); How People Learn: The Design of Learning Environments; pp.10;  Washington D.C.; National Academy Press; Retrieved on June 8, 2011 from http://www.nap.edu  /openbook.php?record_id=9853&page=10

Reeves, D.; (2007); How Do You Sustain Excellence?; Making Math Count; 65(3) pp. 86-87; Retrieved on June 8, 2011 from  http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov07/vol65/num03/How-Do-You-Sustain-Excellence  %C2%A2.aspx