Case 4: New Jersey v.T.L.O. (1985)

Question: Was the search of T.L.O.’s purse illegal? Use an extra sheet of paper if you need

more space.

Post your decision, explanation of your group’s majority opinion and explanation of your group’s minority opinion.

Case 3: Wallace v. Jafree (1985)

Questions: Did the Alabama law violate the First Amendment clause that prohibits the government

from establishing a religion? Did the law violate the child’s First Amendment right to freedom of

religion? Use an extra sheet of paper if you need more space.

Post your decision, explanation of your group’s majority opinion, and explanation of your group’s minority opinion:

Case 2: Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

Question: Did the principal violate the students’ First Amendment right to freedom of press by censoring

their newspaper? Use an extra sheet of paper if you need more space.

Post your decision, explanation of your group’s majority opinion, and explanation of your group’s minority opinion.

Case 1 Tinker v. DesMoines

Question: Were the students’ First Amendment rights violated when they were suspended for

wearing armbands? Use an extra sheet of paper if you need more space.

Post, your decision, explanation of your group’s majority opinion, explanation of your group’s minority opinion:

The importance of quality assurance in an online learning course

Quality assurance is becoming more and more important in education. The rising cost of education is increasing the demand for results. Quality assurance seems to be one of the best ways to guarantee these results. Quality assurance checks are important in all courses but they are critical in an online course. According the Creighton University office of online learning, quality assurance in Creighton's distance learning program is a "multi-faceted process involving faculty, staff, students, administrators, and external stakeholders." Creighton's quality assurance is cyclical meaning it is ongoing, it begins with the data gathering process, then the data is analyzed, findings are reported to stakeholders and a data driven action plan is created and implemented and the process of data gathering begins again. This annual process allows for regular quality assurance checks and guarantees that Creighton's distance learning program is always improving. It seems most quality assurance programs share the same basic skeleton they always begin by gathering the data, the analysis process can differ but it always seems to result in some sort of action, the process is then repeated to evaluate the impact of the action plan. A quality assurance process like Creighton's allows a distance learning program to prove it is effective and thus worth the investment.  

Implementation of Content and Media in Online Courses

Implementation of content and media is one of the most important aspects of online course design. An instructional design team can find amazing learning objects but if they are not used correctly the desired learning outcomes may never be accomplished. In my opinion the main job of an instructional design team is to organize the learning objects in a manner that facilitates the construction of knowledge. As Clark and Mayer (2008) suggest their is a science or methodology to e-learning. This science is what distinguishes online instructional design from an informational website. In the case of an informational website, learning is completely up to the user, it is not assessed and it does not necessarily result in a predetermined learning outcome. However, in an online course there are desired learning outcomes, users are usually assessed summatively and formatively, and content/media is presented in a way that is intended to aid in the construction of knowledge. It is the job of the instructional design team to ensure that an online course is designed to help the user develop new knowledge or skills. In my opinion if an instructional design team does not pay close attention to the science of e-learning and online instruction then their online course will not be effective. The science of e-learning as described by Clark and Mayer (2008) is the basis of online instruction and it is the distinguishing characteristic between a computer programer and an instructional designer.

 Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R.E. (2008) e-Learning and the science of Instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning third edition. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

The role of assessment in online learning

Assessment is one of the most important aspects of instructional design. However, in my opinion  teachers often fail to develop effective assessments. In my teacher education program I was taught that assessments were a critical part of instructional design but I was not taught how to use assessments to drive my pedagogical practices. Throughout my early career I struggled to find the best ways to assess student learning. I have used a variety of summative and formative assessments in my classroom, from sitting through multiple presentations on the same subject to grading the same weak responses using a poorly written rubric. Sometimes I even found my self questioning a students final grade because I believe I did not assess their learning correctly. One thing I do know is that if any teacher wants to accurately assess a students learning, then they first make sure the assessments aligns to the strategies used to learn the content. I learned this lesson the hard way. When I first began teaching I used constructivist learning strategies aligned to my schools social studies curriculum; while my summative assessments showed students were meeting their learning objectives my formative assessment did not always reveal the same results. As I reflected on these discrepancies I quickly realized my multiple choice and extended response assessments were not aligned to the constructivist strategies used in class and thus failed to truly assess what students learned.

Not only does my anecdote help to illustrate the importance of assessment, it also shows why assessment is key to a good online education. As noted in the presentation online learning is students centered and therefore uses a constructivist approach to learning. Therefore it is crucial that the designers of online learning courses have a good understanding of how to use summative and formative assessments. For an online course designer the right summative assessments can improve a students performance on a formative assessment. An effective formative assessment is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of any online learning.

Based on the presentation, my experiences at RMCAD, and the brief research I have done it seems the best online assessments allow students to demonstrate learning by applying new skills and knowledge in real world or authentic scenarios. These types of assessments allow learners to synthesize skills and knowledge learned while applying them in a professional manner. In my opinion these types of assessments are the hallmark of a well designed online course. Without a well thought out assessment an online lesson is no different than an online newspaper, who knows if the user is walking away with any new knowledge. Assessment is an easy way to see if an online course is designed correctly.

Reflection on Guidelines for Instructional Design

As I read over the guidelines for Instructional Design I found myself reflecting on my own practices. The guidelines are the same guidelines that I learned when I was in my teacher license  program, the guidelines also adhere to the design guidelines stressed in my school district. In my experience these guidelines are often refereed to as best practices or good teaching. While I believe these guideline are critical for good instruction I also think every teacher needs to have a sharp and sophisticated understanding of how to implement these guidelines. In my opinion many lessons fail because the objectives are not clear. Many times teachers write complicated or obscure learning objectives that confuse and frustrate students. Recently I have been  attempting to narrow the focus of my objectives by asking what standard am I addressing and  what specific skills or knowledge do my students need to demonstrate learning. By answering these questions I can ensure I choose the best strategies to meet the needs of students. In my experience instructional strategies can either make or brake a lesson, strategies have a great deal of influence on a learners level of engagement. Instructional technology and media also have a great deal of influence on learner engagement as well. Recently I used the song Small Axe by Bob Marley as metaphor to describe the Patriots and the British during the revolutionary war. This piece of media had a much greater impact than a piece of written text or a dry video clip. Finally the question of assessment is as important as an objective. If you have written a strong objective aligned to standards then you already have the basic guidelines for your assessment. By following these guidelines in an intentional and thoughtful manner teachers and instructors can design stronger and more effective lessons that ensure all leaners achieve their goals.

Instructional Design Models

As a middles school teacher I find myself using a variety of instructional processes, design models and learning theories. The social studies curriculum we use at my school is based on Wiggins and McTighe (2001) method of Backward Design. This method suggest instructors plan their lessons and units backwards. Backwards design begins with identifying the learning outcomes for a lesson or a unit. Next an instructor must decide what evidence will allow the learner to demonstrate the learning outcome. Finally the instructor designs the learning experiences needed to achieve the learner outcomes. As I was reading the text I thought the Backwards Design method seemed similar to the ADDIE model and the Dick and Carey model. In my experience backwards design allows the instructor to maximize instruction by first identifying what students should know at the end of the lesson as well as how they will demonstrate the learning. By answering these questions teachers are free to design activities that will best help their students achieve the learning objective. I also believe this model helps learners by clearly establishing an objective for all lessons, units or courses. Another advantage of Backwards design is it can be used in both behaviorist and constructivist learning environments. Once a teacher identifies the learning outcomes they can design lessons to help students achieve these outcomes. 


Another design method I have used is Roger Taylor's Analyzing Human Activities or AHA model. This model uses the most recent brain research, multiple intelligence and constructivist principals to design units that promote higher order thinking skills and a high level of understanding of any subject at any level of education. While Taylor's method is very interesting it is very labor intensive and often times it can be very confusing. 




A quick search of Instructional Design Models revealed there are many different design models with new models being developed or refined each day. One new model I am particularly interested in is challenge based learning. This model is very student centered. Challenge Based Learning or CBL was developed by Apple computers and educators who wanted to find a way to better engage students.  CBL allows students to identify a problem in their community, then students create research questions to guide their investigation of the problem. Students gather the research and process the research then they come up with a solution to the problem based on the research. Finally the students create a piece of digital media to present their findings and solutions to the community. While CBL is very similar problem based and project based learning but it is different in the way it uses technology and allows students to present their ideas to their community and the world. In CBL the instructors role is the guide on the side they help students stay on track by completing timelines for the work. Similar to backwards design the teacher identifies learning outcomes in the beginning. The learning outcomes should be based on standards or objectives related to the essential questions of the subject. As a teacher who often has the privilege to work with disengaged students I hope to use CBL in the near future. I think the CBL model has the potential to drastically change education.

References:

http://www.grantwiggins.org/documents/UbDQuikvue1005.pdf

http://www.rogertaylor.com

http://www.challengebasedlearning.org/pages/welcome

Reflection on my Career and thoughts on trends in educational technology

Over the last eight years I have worked as a middle school teacher in the heart of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. My school is unique in a lot of ways. Our demographics are best broken down into thirds. A third of the students are white, a third Hispanic and a third Black. We also have five different academic programs in our building: a Traditional program, a High Strides program, a Highly Gifted and Talented program, an Emotionally Disturbed program and an Autism program as well. Given the variety of academic programs at the school we have a very diverse student body with many different needs and interest.

Working with the unique student body at Morey Middle School has given me a better understanding of how to use technology to engage 21st century learners. Many of my students are constantly connected to technology, they post to social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram throughout the day. At Morey you can routinely hear students bragging about their abilities to circumvent the various internet filters designed to deny access sites deemed inappropriate for school. They also often complain about the speed of the schools wireless network.  Just last week several students organized multiple Harlem Shake videos throughout the school and today the students were using the VOIP software to make inappropriate announcements over the intercom.

In my opinion students at Morey and students around the world love technology, they are using it to connect with others and to create their own new media. Technology is allowing students to develop a new culture and way of life in cyber-space. This is part of the reason I think it is important for all teachers to be aware of the trends in educational technology, instruction design, and online education.

After studying instructional design as well as trends in educational technology and online education, it is clear that these are rapidly evolving areas of study. I know that there is still a lot of debate over what constitutes effective use of educational technology. In my opinion much of the debate about the use of educational technology seems to be related to budget concerns and the lack of empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of using educational technology. Even with all this debate the the educational technology industry continues to grow. I believe all teachers need to develop a better understanding of instructional design as well as the trends in educational technology and online education. If teachers hope to effectively use media and technology to teach students they must first understand some of the basic principles of instructional design. Teachers need to know how to ensure that students are able to construct meaning and demonstrate learning using media and technology.

Teachers must have a good understanding of the various educational technologies available to them. From IPad Apps to Web2.0 tools, teachers should know what are the newest technologies we can leverage and use to better engage our students. Finally teachers need to understand the trends in online education due to the increase in hybrid and flipped classes. If teachers begin to understand trends in online education they can find ways to use class time more efficiently, by flipping the classroom or using online assessments teachers can easily increase teaching time. The impact of technology on education is clear. If teachers hope to build on their students passion and prepare them for life in the 21st century, then they must have a sharp and sophisticated understanding of educational technology, instructional design and online education.