USING
Candidates create instructional design products based on learning principles and research-based best practices. (pp. 8, 243-245, 246)
Artifact:
iPad Training Course Video Tour
Artifact & Course Description:
Course Description:
Created in GDIT 705: Courseware Design, Fall2013
“The main goal of this course is to provide candidates with perspectives and experiences on designing and developing online courseware with emerging interactive technology for more engaging classroom teaching and research.” ~Fall 2013 Syllabus, Dr. Misook Heo
Project Description:
The “iPad training for primary teachers” course was created in GDIT 705 Courseware Design in the Fall of 2013, supervised by Dr. Misook Heo. The design choices were made and revised throughout the course based on the multimedia principles and the content contained in the course text The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning by R.E. Mayer (2005). It was shared with school district technology representatives, administrators, and teachers as a resource for their use. The course contains modules that guide teachers who are just starting to teach with iPads. It covers content from the initial set up to the instructional applications.
According to Mayer (2005), many studies have shown that students have increased learning when presented with a combination of words and pictures (Mayer, 2005). It was with this in mind, that I chose to create a Blackboard training course to assist in the training of primary level teachers who are in the initial stages of using iPads for instruction. In GDIT 705, we revised and added to our prototype course based on the multimedia principles and the ideas presented in the text by Mayer (2005). Some of the most important considerations were made in terms of visual representaions and text. Other areas of consideration involved video elements, delivery methods, and learning styles.
The ideas of Andragogy, or adult learning theory, as explained by Knowles (1984), were also incorporated into this training module. The content was chosen to be immediately useful for the teachers in their current classroom settings. It also contained a variety of written texts, images, videos, and presentation software. These were used in combination to address a variety of learning styles. Discussion boards and voice boards were added to incorporate more collaborative sharing among the trainees. Videos and documents were chosen and created based on the multimedia principles in order to ensure that the learner was engaged and not overwhelmed.
Reflection:
This artifact meets the standard by considering multimedia design principles, as well as adult learning theory. These ideas were explored and then incorporated into the professional development and it’s delivery method. The content and delivery were carefully considered based on multimedia principles and adult learning theory, from the presentation format to the learning activities.
According to Knowles (1984), adult learners are more interested in learning information that has immediate application in their jobs. The process of learning for adults is more focused on solving problems than learning new content. According to Terehoff (2002), adult learners thrive with interactive learning, such as discussions, which in turn, creates new learning experiences for the learners by providing a more relevant and applicable context for learning. In this unit, the content was immediately applicable to the learners, as they were beginning a one-to-one iPad implementation. The delivery contained a variety of activities that met the suggested pedagogical recommendations in adult learning theory, such as group discussion boards.
I feel strongly that creating this course will be useful in my career. I am confident that learning about design principles and adult learning theory will be valuable in a variety of instructional venues in my future career. It will be especially useful for creating instructional materials for adult learners, such as teacher training or instruction in higher education.
References:
Knowles, M. (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston: Gulf Publishing.
Mayer, R. E. (Ed.)(2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Terehoff, I. I. (2002). Elements of adult learning in teacher professional development. NASSP bulletin, 86(632), 65-77.
Becky Durbin's IT Portfolio Collection 