Choose one question. Responses due by 9/29 at 12noon.
In this article, the authors are a group of researchers who are trying to create tools for teachers to use for effective technology integration. We will look at Instructional Architect in our next class.
Helpful vocabulary: Metadata = the "extra" information that helps digital libraries find materials with specific characteristics. (e.g., target age).
Question 1: In this article, the authors express disappointment that teachers did not use the Instructional Architect tool more often. Do you agree with their assessment of why the IA tool was not more heavily used? Why or why not?
Question 2: Given the authors' description of the Instructional Agent and your knowledge about using technology in classrooms, what do you think are the most helpful and least helpful parts of the tool? If you could give advice to the authors about how to make their tool most useful for you, what would it be?
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20 comments:
Question 2:
The authors described IA- "helps users, especially teachers, discover, select, sequence, annotate, and reuse learning resources stored in digital libraries." I love the idea of having a web page teachers can show students their resources and allow them and the teacher sequence and annotate the resources so they can make meaningful projects. It is wonderful to have so many technology tools in which you can get ideas for lesson plans.One of the cons of all this, is it is not put in simple terms. As i sat here reading all seven pages, i found i did not understand half of what they were talking about. Maybe one of the problems with this tool, is that it is not easily understood on ones own, and would require many classes and workshops. As a teacher, you don't always have time to go to hours of workshops and classes. I just feel that it needs to be in simple terms, and they should not cram so much information into so little of time.
Question 1.
I found that I agree with why they say that more teachers don't use the IA system. Having sat in on a few classes and observed how hectic teachers schedules are. I observed that teachers really do not have any time to do anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Any spare time they have is taken up with students, other teachers, and other responsibilities. They don't have the time to learn new ways of doing things let alone actually having time to do them.
Question 1
I agree that teachers have a hard time using AI because teachers are chronically busy. Plus teachers who feel more comfortable with technology tools will also have an easier time of using the tool therefore making it easier. And the teachers without access to computers would have a hard time seeing how AI could benefit their teaching. However, I also believe there are extraneous variables unaccounted for. For example some schools computer time is taken up by standardized tests. In addition the teachers participating in the workshops could have had to attend a workshop for a license renewal and therefore really had to attend a workshop and thought that AI sounded interesting or it worked with their schedule however did not really have the passion to further their exploration. Although the interviews were conducted teachers would probably not want to say they just had to take this class to meet a requirement. AI sounds to be time consuming considering all the tolls it offers and when the article stated that the advanced searches were hardly used I think that also would help us conclude that teachers need easy and straight to the point programs because they do not have enough time to become experts in AI.
Question 1
One of the major reasons that the authors gave for the lack of teacher use is time. We all know that teachers' time is at a premium and this will keep a teacher from wanting to change anything. I have a friend who is a teacher and last school year she changed how she was teaching her reading program. This one change in her day added approximately an hour of preperation per day. Not all teachers can or will take this much time to change things if it is not absolutely necessary or if it doesn't significantly help the students' learning. Perhaps the authors should show data about how much the IA actually increases student learning and comprehension.
Question 1:
I do agree with the assessment of why the Instructional Architect tool was not used more. The article said that the software is difficult to obtain, which is going to be one huge draw back. Also the cost of technology can make it so that teachers cannot obtain it anyway, because of their lack in funding. Some teachers have poor access to technology. I think that this statement is one of the least important, because as technology advances, schools will slowly grow to accomodate the need of technology, at least as much as funds permit. The teachers, at the workshops given for direction of how to use this technology, were small in number, so not a lot of people are even taking the chance to learn about it, because of this the information cannot spread. Most importantly, teachers don't have too much time to do this. There are so many other resources that teachers are supposed to be using, that they will find it difficult to use another way that is so time consuming.
Question #1
When I read this article I first had no idea what the reasons were for a lack of use by teachers. However, when I read the authors reasons for this lack of change in many teachers teaching practices, I totally agreed. It is true that teachers are always busy and they need to know for sure that something they put their time and money into is going to be worth it. And not all teachers are receptive to change and new technology, especially older teachers. Obviously if a teacher has poor access to technology then they will not easily adopt this new technology. It is also true that there are other software programs that are available to teachers, that might be easier or simpler for them to use.
Question #1:
I do agree with the authors of this article that the Instructional Architect tool was not used more often. Unfortunately, IA tools take time and resources that many teachers simply don’t have. As a teacher, time is limited, and an IA tool requires extra preparation time. Many teachers simply cannot find this kind of prep time for this specific tool. In addition, there are many schools who don’t’ have the equipment that will support this type of technology based learning; and in the event that they do, many teachers themselves are not familiar with using IA tools. Although these are modern teaching methods, and hard to adapt too, I feel that it is important that teachers try to make the adjustments to incorporate, even if brief, these beneficial learning tools.
Question 1:
I agreed with the article on why they thought that teachers did not use the IA system. Although I found that some of the ideas of the IA system could be very useful in incorporating technology into the classroom, their were a lot of negative results. The article stated that when teachers had less access to technology, or were less educated they did not continue to use the IA systems after the workshops were over. I also agreed with the point they made about how the IA systems should have more graphics and text editing so that it would keep the attention of younger students. I think it would also be important for the teachers to make sure they change the IA systems to match the skills and abilities of their students they are teaching. It also said at the end of the article that they really did not have evidence about students actually using the IA systems. By not having actual evidence about if kids used the system there is no way for teachers to see if it is really important to use in their own classrooms. The last idea that I agree with is that the IA systems will," provide more sustained instruction may help change teacher practices." By having more instruction provided teachers will feel more confident, and will be more likely to use it in their classroom. If teachers are not confident about technology they want to use in their class they will overlook the good it could do for their students because they do not know how to teach it successfully.
Question 1
I agree with the authors' assessment of why IA is not more heavily used. Teachers are definitely "chronically busy", which makes it very difficult to find time to put together the projects in IA. While it would be worthwhile in the long run, teachers have so many other things that need to be taken care of immediately that I can understand why they do not want to take the time to put projects like these together. Younger teachers being more familiar with the internet and other technologies might increase IA's usage, but it would still be very time-consuming.
I also agree that poor access to technology presents major problems with using IA. More and more classrooms have computers in them, but the majority of classrooms that I have been in do not. I think that if teachers have to go to the school library or computer lab to work on IA projects, it is less likely that they will want to it.
Question 1:
The author states that teachers are chronically busy. I see that every level of teaching. New teachers to seasoned teachers. They also stated that teachers who aren't computer literate may not be inclined to use the IA tool. Although these two issues are not irrelavent to the topic, I personally don't think it can be stated that the issues are what cause lower use of the IA tool. I find that the tool would help busy teachers, because you can store past articles for future use. Also it seems user friendly, therefore those teachers that maybe computer illiterate wouldn't have much problem in using the IA tool. I do think however that the tool should be "tweaked" to better meet the needs of teachers. The author had stated that participants had mentioned a high importance on find information relevant to the age they were teaching but that, "as discovered above, few resources contained the audience metadata feild."
Question 1:
I agree with the reasons the author gave for why teachers may have a hard time using the IA. I know first hand how difficult it is trying to learn something new and have it work within your job, and the fact that I am a computer technician and know quite a bit about technology and software, I have an advantage and still find it hard to change the way you work when there's a new component added. I think it would be hard for teachers to adjust and honestly, it would be more stressful.
I also think it's not realistic at the time, because even though more schools are becoming more integrated with technology, not all schools have the knowhow or advances in technology yet.
The biggest thing I agreed with is that teachers just don't have the time. I know that when I did my Co-Op over the summer, the teacher I was with every day for 2 months told me how hectic it is to get everything in and that they can't even do fun or extra activities until after their testing because how every little bit of time is important to making sure the kids are learning what they need to know. It's just not realistic for todays' teachers.
Question 2:
If I could give advice to the authors it would be to simplify. Reinforce all the learning that was done in their classes, and investigate or to check back on how these teachers are using the information. They did recognize that the language that they used was different than what the teachers understood it to mean. I think they should organize a group of teachers to implement a web resource for teachers in each school. What about having the computer lab expert create at least one lesson per teacher to use. Maybe this would help spur the use of this technology.
Absolutely! Time is a major player in why AI was unsuccessful. However, there are many other contributing factors to why the Instructional Architect tool was not used as much as intended. It seemed that It would take practice getting used to the software and many teachers would likely not want to take the time, especially if they already have their own strategies that seem to have been working. It is difficult to change when stuck in one’s ways and habits, especially when learning about new and confusing technology. Because workshops must be attended to learn about and keep informed in the products and services, teachers may not have the time (even if they would like to) for attending these sessions. Funding within schools is another major factor; although technology is becoming more and more available within schools, not all schools have such a luxury to have technology available for every student. And not all families have technology at home for continues learning and technological communication. There are cheaper and equally efficient ways to incorporate technology into the classroom.
Question 1:
I agree with the reasons the authors give about why the IA tool is not more widely used. Definitely teachers are chronically busy. I can see many teachers not wanting to seek out new time consuming responsibilities that are not mandated. Also, many teachers are afraid of change and do not want to incorporate something new and not mandated into their curriculum. Technology is a very daunting thing for many teachers. Some teachers are older and unaccustomed to the internet, and a project such as this would take them more time than it is worth. I do think that online libraries are a great idea and with each new generation becoming more and more tech savvy than the one before. I can see new teachers and future teachers loving all these technologies and using them everyday in their curriculum.
The IA is a tool, and as such, is only as useful as the person using the tool. The workshop advertised the capabilities of the IA which comprised, among other things, a convenient search engine for finding relevant online resources for school curricula, and a server capable of storing the teachers' preferred findings.
But let's face it, change takes time. Teachers have already put in a lot of work hammering out their teaching content and styles, and the longer they've taught, the more polished the version of their "teaching persona." If the teachers haven't been using web sites at all previously to help with their planning, even though the IA is a nice little tool, it's likely not going to transform the teacher into an internet guru overnight. It's probably quite simple for a teacher to say that the workshop was an interesting memory, but now it's time to get back to class.
For the workshop to achieve what it desires, it must be implemented again and again in a systematic way, developing over time, so that teachers accept the fact that technology integration is a real and practical thing happening at their school. And even then, it would take time.
Question 1:The article discusses why their Instructional Architect tool was not used more often. I can see why they would be so disappointed, as they worked hard to create something useful for teachers, but I can also see why it did not become more widespread. Teachers only have so many hours in the day, and with increasing pressure to ensure their students do well on standardized tests, their focus is rarely on taking time to learn how to integrate a somewhat difficult-to-understand-at-first program. Also, word of mouth travels fast, and if there were not a lot of teachers coming to the workshop to learn about the program, then teachers may not know how valuable a tool it is. It would also be tricky to motivate teachers to invest in a program that is difficult to obtain, especially with they way teachers and schools have to monitor funding so closely in their schools.
Question #1
I agree with the reasons the authors give about why the IA tool was not used heavily by more teachers. One reason is that teachers have a limited time and if they are not used to using technology or different technology they are not going to use something they are not comfortable using. Another reason is few digital libraries have incorporated this kind of metadata because it is expensive. Teachers who have access to other programs which are less expensive are more likely to use what they already have. Teachers are worried about using materials aligned with the state and federal teaching standards. I have found that not all classes are the same. Every class of students have different needs and background experiences which teachers need to address. A teacher is going to take what they need for their individual students. They teach to the needs of their students not just using a new technology because it is the popular or new way of doing something. Just because something is new or popular does not mean it is better. There is so much information out there that teachers need to choose what they will use. Nobody can use everything. Maybe a new technology is better but maybe not. If they try to do everything it will not only overload the teacher but the students they are trying to teach as well. The important thing is that the teacher realizes what is out there and use what is best for their class and their individual students.
Question #1
I agree with the reasons the authors give about why the IA tool was not used heavily by more teachers. One reason is that teachers have a limited time and if they are not used to using technology or different technology they are not going to use something they are not comfortable using. Another reason is few digital libraries have incorporated this kind of metadata because it is expensive. Teachers who have access to other programs which are less expensive are more likely to use what they already have. Teachers are worried about using materials aligned with the state and federal teaching standards. I have found that not all classes are the same. Every class of students have different needs and background experiences which teachers need to address. A teacher is going to take what they need for their individual students. They teach to the needs of their students not just using a new technology because it is the popular or new way of doing something. Just because something is new or popular does not mean it is better. There is so much information out there that teachers need to choose what they will use. Nobody can use everything. Maybe a new technology is better but maybe not. If they try to do everything it will not only overload the teacher but the students they are trying to teach as well. The important thing is that the teacher realizes what is out there and use what is best for their class and their individual students.
Question 1
I do agree with the authors of why the IA is not more heavily used. Their main reason was that teachers were "chronically busy". This part I agree with, because there are usually not enough hours in the day for teachers to do the normal things they have to do, let alone have to incorporate something new that they are not completely familiar with. As the authors stated when they conducted the workshops the amount of teachers that new about the IA was usually 0 or very few. A couple of other reasons I think the IA was not more heavily used is that teachers already have other technological resources that they use and are familiar with that work well for their classrooms and needs, such as the UEN and other websites that we have learned about. Why would they want to change to a whole new system when they are happy with what they have. The other reason is not a lot of classrooms have computers for every student, and teachers can't send out web assignments as homework, because all of their students may not have computers or internet access at home. These reasons I believe are also why the IA is not more heavily used.
Question #1
Yes, I do agree with their assessment of why the IA tool was not more heavily used. Because just like as is sometimes is the case with me. Before I try something new I have to sometimes have a reason to do something before I will do it if I do not want to do it.
Sarah Bedard
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