Final Reflection

Blogging has its ups and downs for me. I am not particularly excited by the idea of using it as a part of a course. I think it's because it forces me to be on a computer for yet more precious time. However, I must admit that I learned a lot from my personal exploration of a topic and the subsequent required writing about it. And, I learned much from visits to fellow colleagues' blogs. I even gained a great cartoon from Bart who sent it to me upon request. And, in terms of the actual journey, I viewed more videos, visited more websites, and gained more personal insight into how people use or don't use technology than any book would have provided.

All that said, the constraint of working within a small group of bloggers also had its ups and downs. On the positive side, I felt that I got to know Ashley, Bruce and Portip as people even though we never met. Bruce is a passionate gamer. He found more websites on games that I could count. Ashley is teacher. She wrote about how she utilized her learning into her classroom. And "Tah Tah" is an educator of another land. I even learned about a different culture through Tah. We, unfortunately, had a couple of folks who dropped out which limited our input. But, I did venture out into the blogs of others outside of my group from time to time.

The course constraint of covering one topic for a long period of time caused me to create a mental outline of what I was going to cover and when. For example, week one I'd cover "what is ___ (topic). Week two "how is it used." Week three "here's an example - an article, video, etc." Week four "here's software on it. Week five "here's how I used the software." So, for me, I needed a plan of attack to cover all of the areas I thought were pertinent to the topic and that would be of interest to others learning with me about that particular topic. Maybe, given the opportunity in the future, I would take a more constructionist approach to blogging used in a course in terms of letting the specific topic develop from week to week...which is probably more in line with what blogging should be about.

Overall, I really like that blogging brings the art of writing back into the forefront of the way we live. For a long time, I was thinking that writing was a lost art...especially in the business world where so much communication is in bullets and matrices. The internet, in general, has given a rebirth to the lost art of writing. Only, I hope that the good/correct grammar and punctuation practices will return in the future as well rather than the invented shortcuts often used for texting, IMing, etc.

So there you have it. The good, bad and the ugly of blogging.

Happy holidays!

Mickey

Mind Mapping Wrap Up

Well, I thought I would share some of my recent experiences with mind mapping since blogging about it.

I've conducted three training sessions in which I included mapping as an activity, and I actually used it for some personal reflection as well. I did not use the software in the activities....just the concept.

The first session was a management development session that used the technique to analyze a case study. Four teams of two or three people worked on the same case. Interestingly, each team came up with a different spin on the solutions. I think most participants had an aha moment.

The second session was with student affairs folks on worklife balance. We conducted an exercise for folks to identify themes of stressors, and then they were asked to join others with similar issues to mind map solutions. Again, folks jumped in quickly and seemed engaged. Each team debriefed their map.

The third session was with library folks whose job is being upgraded. We had them work at their table to brainstorm what was in their span of control in terms of the upgrade process and their feelings about all of the change they've endured. Again, they jumped in and the maps were, overall, pretty positive.

In all cases, we showed the Tony Buzan 4 minute video to demo the technique just before the map exercise. They all "got it" immediately. And, I'm not sure we ever really grow out of colored markers and paper!

Finally, I can speak to using this technique for a personal discovery process too. I mapped out four things: my feelings, concerns, ideal retirement job and things that make me most happy. It was an amazing experience to get all of these thoughts down on four small pieces of paper. I felt like I could see the "big" issues vs. the "small" ones. And, I felt empowered as I realized that I could deal with all of the things that, previously, were swimming around in my head.

Mind mapping is just a great tool. I really encourage you to try it. But, once is not done. You really need to do it a few times to get the swing of it.

And, then, download that free software and really have a good time.

Good luck!

Mind mapping has other names. Check out this site on spidergrams.

http://www.michaelonmindmapping.com/blog/mind-maps/spidergrams-and-mind-mapping-whats-the-difference/

Another term you may run into is bubblegrams.

And, yet another, is spray diagrams. I found this term interesting as it's a "structure of a system at a point in time."

I guess what I am learning is that this idea of mind maps can be used for several things. It can be used as a technique to brainstorm, draw connections between ideas, problem solve, document, or describe. While there are really only subtle differences within all of the terms, it's good to know that mind mapping can be referred to other ways.

What are your thoughts on the differences?

I did it!!

I downloaded The Personal Brain - mind mapping software, and I created a mind map about student centered learning. Then, most importantly, I learned how to publish my map to the WebBrain site so I can share it with you here. Go to the link to see my work, but, more importantly, it's interactive. So, click on the boxes to manipulate the "brain." Here's the link:

http://webbrain.com/brainpage/brain/3C0BE0FC-DDAB-B181-F052-1935E52A0036

Lessons learned: The software is not as intuitive as I imagined it to be. It took me some time to figure out how to create a map. And, it's sometimes difficult to control the boxes. If I clicked incorrectly, a "child" turns into a "parent" related box. (The map is all about relationships. Obviously, the "parent" boxes have more authority.) The map is also referred to as a "brain." I thought this was interesting considering how Tony Buzan (the self-proclaimed "inventor" of mind maps) explained that mind maps are representations of how the brain works. But, this software only creates maps with straight lines vs. curved lines as Tony Buzan recommends. So, I think that's a hinderance. And, I cannot figure out how to pull in pictures...yet.

On the plus side, I was able to create a map using software that is FREE!

Feedback is welcomed and appreciated on either the map or the software.

This week I am exploring mind mapping software. I found several free software programs. Rather than trying to download them and begin to play, I have several youtube videos that show how the software works.

Free Mind is a free mind mapping program. To show how it works, watch this tutorial created by a grad student at Clemson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grut_2cardM&feature=related

Here's a short video on how Tony Buzan's IMind Map software works. No words to it; just music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f9jnGsWl9k

Here's another video on another software program: Solution Language Tool. It looks very easy, and robust.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG08oypM40Y&feature=related

And, here is a short video on Personal Brain found at thebrain.com. It, too, is free. I have a colleague who recommended it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP3d7P4AERg&feature=related

I've downloaded Personal Brain. I'm going to try to create one and post it next week.

Mickey

More Detailed Info on Concept and Mind Maps

While I will explore concept mapping software in future posts, here is an article on a low tech means of using concept mapping in the classroom. It's about how one teacher starting teaching his students about concept mapping using post-its. (If you are a science teacher, he also provides several other examples of the use of post-its in science lessons.) Check out figure 1 in the article. It's a concept map about...what else...concept maps!

http://libezproxy.syr.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=11596166&Fmt=6&clientId=3739&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Another simple example of creating concept maps is in the following You Tube video. It's only a couple of minutes long. The highlight in this video is about the importance of starting the map with the question you are trying to answer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWVLrmfYYMw&feature=related

Now let's switch to learning a bit more about my related topic - mind maps. Tony Buzan seems to be a self-proclaimed inventor of the idea of mind maps. He introduces the importance of using color, graphics, curved lines, and the appropriate length of word with the maps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ

Tony's final message: You too can be a genius if you use mind maps!

Let me know your thoughts.

Mind Mapping Sites

I have a favorite Mind Mapping site that furture explains the concept. It's from Mind Tools. Take a peak at the video. It's short and easy to follow. The only thing that may be confusing is that this site talks about including colors and even graphics that I thought differentiated concept maps from mind maps. (I'll do a bit more research on this.) But, overall, I think you'll get the idea of what a mind map is and the basics on how to create one.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm

Building on this, here's another mind mapping software site that demos how software (i.e., MindGenius) can be used in educational settings to allow teams to engage in collaborate learning using mindmaps.

http://www.mindgenius.com/?i=36025

There is a free 30 day trial for this under the education tab.

It should be fun.

Mickey

Week 9 - New Topic Concept/Mind Mapping Software

I'm starting my new topic this week. I'm going to explore concept mapping/mind mapping software.

Before we get into the software area, let's first define what concept/mind mapping.

At first I thought they were the same thing, but after a small bit of research, I found that there are some subtle differences.

Concept mapping deals more with taking seemingly random, unrelated ideas, thoughts, and words and portraying the relationships that they have to one and other using lines to connect them. Interestingly, concept maps were "born" at Cornell University in the '70s by science Professor Joseph Novak.

Mind maps are used similarly to connect ideas, thoughts, and words, however, graphics and colors are also introduced to the "picture" making the "map" more eye-catching and interesting. So you can gain a better understanding, here are a couple of links to concept/mind maps from Wikipedia.

Concept mapping: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_map

Mind mapping: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

Next week, I'll explore how to create maps using software.

Week 8: RSS Feeds in a Classroom - An Example

I found a great article that explains how RSS feeds were incorporated into the design of an online management class. The class used a blended approach. While the first class of the course was classroom style, the remainder of the course was designed so that podcasts were sent to adult learners using RSS feeds. The first class was primarily used to ensure that students felt comfortable with all of the technology that would be utilized within the course.

The school is Athens Technical College and the article by Randall J. Hollandsworth details how this hybrid approach to learning Principles of Management.

Even though the article is a bit dated, it really explains the overall rollout and design of the course. The design included many of the technologies that we are reading about in our course (i.e., iTunes, podcasting, RSS feeds and aggregators, and iPods). All classes by the instructor or guest speaker were pre-recorded and then attached to an RSS feed so students could pick up content through iTunes. Interestingly, the student feedback on the course is also included, and it's very positive.

Here's the article: http://www.scribd.com/doc/39823389/Rss-Feeds-at-Athens-Tech

Reference: Hollandsworth, R. (2007). A Hybrid Approach for Online Lectures in the Business Classroom. TechTrends, 51(4), 39-44. doi: 10.1007/s11528-007-0054-4

Podcast Reflection
I am so humbled by the two podcasts I reviewed on assistive technology. I watched the lady from Paris who has an office in her house and works, I think she said, full time. And, I also watched the young boy from Charlton, NY who uses InDesign with his Mac. The most striking thread in both was that technology gave them a new lease on life. The reading just does not do this group of people who have found a lifeline in technology justice. You need to watch the podcast to appreciate their situations. This also highlights the power of using a podcast as the medium to learn. Wow!

Week 7 - Post 2 - Using RSS Feeds

Check out the USA Today general article below on how students are using RSS feeds to save time in completing their research.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-08-01-rss-research_x.htm

If you want to know more specifically how to utilize RSS feeds in research, here is a website at Texas State University - San Marcos library.

http://www.library.txstate.edu/research/RSS-feeds.html

This made me think that our own Bird Library must have a resource for us to set up RSS feeds, and guess what...it does. Apparently each student has an account in MYbrary where you can set up research feeds from your favorite journals. If you've noticed, when you go directly to a journal site, many time you have to be a subscriber to obtain articles. If you utilize MYbrary, you can access your favorites for free.

https://library.syr.edu/mybrary/

I also ran across another website chock full of RSS information. It's called RSS Specifications. I've provided the link to the RSS article page within the website. You'll note the number of ways feeds are being used. From Realtors to marketers, RSS is becoming a key tool in many occupations today.

http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-articles.htm

And, I also ran across another look at how feeds are set up at the New York Federal Reserve. Take a look at how RSS feeds are listed by topic. This is just another example of how the feeds are developing a life of their own in the world of information access.

http://www.newyorkfed.org/rss/

Hope this gives you a good overview of how RSS looks in the outside world.

Week 7 - Add a Feed to Your Blog

The only way to really appreciate RSS feeds is to use them. So, I will explain here how to add one to your blog. Since we all have to visit our blogs each week, it will be one-stop-shopping for you to experience how an RSS feed works.

1. Find a website with an RSS feed (look for the feed logo located at the top center of this post) to "pull" a feed from. Choose a site that has information that interests you. "Copy" the URL of the RSS feed page.
2. Sign into your blog and click into "Design" mode.
3. Click on any "Gadget" area you see. You will get a list of options of gadgets you can add to customize your blog.
4. Scroll down the list of gadgets to find "FEED." Click on it.
5. Paste the URL of the website of your chosen feed.

Voila! You should be in business with your new RSS feed.

PS -I have experienced some errors pasting some RSS URLs into the URL. I have no fix but to find another URL of another website that works. Sorry...I'm still not a guru in Blogger.

Now...go get a feed! (And...let me know how it works.)

IDE 611 Week Post

This week I wanted to talk about how you can set up an RSS feed.

Frankly, I began to compose this in writing, but, I think the attached YOUTube video shows you how to set one up and is more helpful than me trying to articulate it in words here.

Take a look at the video: RSS in Plain English.

By the way, in addition to showing you how to set up a feed, the video also tells you about how feeds and readers work and the reasons why you might want to consider using an RSS feed (some of which I have discussed in previous posts).

Drum roll.......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU&feature=related

Enjoy!

Hurrah! I found a great book on RSS feeds. I'll start with some of the terminology I've learned more about.

First, as I have written about previously, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. But, what's syndication? It's a regular exchange of up-to-date information.

Originally called "newsfeeds," RSS feeds regularly feed news from one site to another. How do you get the feeds? You subscribe just like you do to a magazine or newspaper.

RSS feeds are written in a particular language referred to as XML. Due to this, RSS feeds need special "reader" software. If you'd like to get free reader software, the most popular is Feedreader (www.feedreader.com). Readers also serve as "aggregators" which provide users with a short view of each new article that arrives at a destination. This makes it easy for the user to sort through the information delivered. The first aggregator was Radio Userland co-invented in 1997 by Userland and Netscape.

The advantages of using RSS feeds are: 1) smaller bandwidth is used, 2) clear semantics (apparently cleaner than HTML), and 3) time saving (news is delivered to your web address automatically - thereby involving less time spent surfing on the web).

The book referred to is listed below and can be found electronically through the Bird Library website. Enjoy!

This a first, more specific taste of RSS feeds. More next week.

Wittenbrink, Heinz. "Chapter 1 - What are Newsfeeds?". RSS and Atom: Understanding and Implementing Content Feeds and Syndication. Packt Publishing. © 2005. Books24x7. (accessed September 28, 2010)

Week 2 RSS Post

I asked myself the question, "what websites have the highest RSS feed utilization?" I found a site devoted to syndicated sites which is http://www.syndic8.com/. This site provides the top 200 most popular feeds. In the top ten, eight of the feeds are related to technical learning and sharing. Answers to how to fix computer problems abound. It appears that the RSS feeds is being used to share trouble-shooting information between computer techies who are backing up like software programs. In other words, the "learning" arising from on-the-job issues is being shared world-wide via websites that have feeds. It's facinating. Leave it to the techies to invent a unique usage for the RSS feed.

The other two most popular websites were about news headlines. It appears that the rest of the world is lagging behind the techies as they are ONLY using this mechanism to just get the news "pushed" to them.

This site also has RSS statistics, RSS articles, and info that is apparently related on Pings, Tags, Web Services, etc. I'll need to learn about all of those at another sitting.

RSS - 101

RSS (i.e., Really Simple Syndication or, its precursor RDF Site Summary) feeds allows headlines from other websites to be automatically delivered (fed)to a reader's email, blog or website. To collect the feeds, the readers' computer must have RSS "reader" software, which aggregates the information flow coming in into one spot.

Advantages include decreased time in surfing each favorite website regularly as information is "pushed" to the reader each time new stories or articles are published.

Another big advantage is for us as researchers. In our work, it's critical for us to keep up with the latest information on one's area of interest. So, I believe RSS feeds and readers can make this easy as hot-off-the-press information is handed to us, keeping us abreast with the latest discoveries. Obviously for the information to be research-worthy, the quality of the feed source must be a major consideration.

Next week: What are some of the top RSS Feed?

My blog topic - RSS Feeds

For my blog topic, I would like to focus on RSS feeds. I truly believe that knowledge is power, and I think this new "push" technology has great promise for the future of continuous learning. Obviously, the amount of data that can be "fed" could also be overwhelming. My interest lies in learning to properly manage the feeds chosen.

First Week Reflection

Well, we're off and running this semester. We seem to have a very engaged class, which, I think is important for an online course. I could not get over the number of strings that popped up in the discussions. In other online courses I have taken, strings were minimal. It also appears that the short, non-threatening intros have helped get this course off to a good start. I love the fact that we are represented internationally. They should just add to the rich flavor of discussion and debate.

I also liked how the instructions arrive in a staggered fashion just about daily from our instructors. That delivery mechanism seems to make the whole course less overwhelming.

I already had a blog that I made for another course, so putting a new page in was easy. The blogging piece for me in the past was tough. It was an add-on versus an integral part of the course, as it is here. Therefore, I am looking forward to really experiencing the power of a blog in this course. Few colleagues added comments last time as there were so many other course requirements.

So, all looks to be full steam ahead! Bring it on!

Final Reflection

Seems like only yesterday I was saying, “You want me to create a what….a blog? What’s that?” Well, I did that. And, I also learned not only what a wiki is, but what it can be used for, in terms of learning. I also learned that these tools are a part of a learning revolution called “social learning” that is a part of a time period in internet history called “web 2.0.” Long story short, I unexpectedly learned a lot more about technology in this course than I ever anticipated. Thank you Jerry.
Under the guise of IDD, I am learning about the nuances of the definition of that acronym. It’s becoming clearer how it is used by experts in different ways. In this course, while I am the first to say that the reading is a bit much, it also takes one through the relatively short history of IDD. And, I would imagine, that a developing science goes through a linguistic evolution of sorts, until it solidifies itself at some point in the future. I see this with human resources. First it was personnel, then human resources, then human resource management, and now, in some places, it is talent or people management. So, through this journey, I’ve also reconciled with how to one might deal with a situation of scholars in this field, understanding that I would have to listen carefully to ensure I understood their viewpoint or definition of IDD.
My appreciation of graphic representation grew this semester. I have seen the power of using graphics in instruction as I have led two nationwide learning map training implementations where the bulk of the learning came from reading the graphics through a carefully constructed set of questions. I found it interesting to learn from the teachers that the graphics were difficult for them and they were more comfortable with narrative. I think in the real world, more people can grasp a graphic much quicker. There’s an area for further research. My instinct tells me the picture would win hands down, but that notion will need to be proved at a later date.
Further on graphics, I think the graphics allowed us to learn more about the different types of models in a short time period. I cannot imagine trying to read just narrative about all of the different models we reviewed. I could never have synthesized that much information into something that I now feel fairly comfortable with through long narrative. I love the boxes and arrows concept, and I am forever grateful to Dick and Carey for starting that trend in this field.
Concerning context, I feel that my gut understanding about the need for solid up-front analysis in higher education was validated. I have felt that the “buy-in” step was critical here, but seeing in Diamond’s research reaffirmed my observations. I know that my model applies to staff vs. faculty, but I am sure that the same emphasis will apply in my situation. I also think that the use of front-end analysis applies to business as well, one just has a lot less time to conduct that type of review in corporate America. I definitely need to take the front-end analysis course to learn more, and, as Jerry alluded to, I may just have found my niche in this field through this section. Front-end analysis certainly resonated for me. I just may be my real area of interest.
I loved learning about the concept of “diffusion.” I need to get Don Ely’s book on this, and further my research on this term. At least now I have a term to research. Thank you Don Ely.
Finally, and this is the biggest nugget of learning, I am beginning to make connections between all of my areas of interest that include: instructional design and development, organizational development, assessment, human resource development, and professional development. This is very exciting and energizing. I feel as though I am seeing how each piece is either embedded within another, is linked to another, or meshes with another. Prior to this, I was having trouble filing the information I was receiving through these courses into my human hard drive because I’ve been trying to file them separately. I am beginning to see where the files fit within a file and how to store the files in a way that I can access them quickly when needed. Said another way, I feel that my understanding of my total knowledge base took on a whole new level of meaning and totality this semester. I read philosopher’s like Eckhart Tolle who can connect the dots between different theories within different religions within differing cultures and I think that’s a reflection of being able to marry several thoughts and ideas. I think this is reflection of higher level thinking and I am beginning to experience it. Who knew that knowledge could make you high?
So, I’ve blogged, wiki’ed, learned about building pictures of systems using boxes and arrows, and felt the euphoria of knowledge convergence. Not bad for three months work!

Reflections 4/19

Class Reflection: I have realized, after hearing Phil speak, that I am highly influenced by my work, which is organizational development (OD), and that has played a significant role in how I have reacted to this course. PD-ID-OD will stick with me forever. Frankly, I felt validated by Phil's three step wisdom which included OD. Instruction is only one piece of the puzzle. And, it is only one piece of my puzzle here at SU. In fact, after 20 years in this business, I must say that I don't believe the greatest instruction in the world can change much behavior if it is not supported by the environment. The environment plays a key role. This is why I think teachers in America are struggling so. I think many parents are really providing an uphill battle for them. Likewise in Corp America or even here at SU, if employees go to a training class and return to the workspace and the training is not supported by their manager or supervisor, the chance of behavior change is practically lost. This is why I am emphasizing a very holistic, system-wide approach in my model. End of reflection on class.

Model Reflection: That said, I received feedback from Gary, Steve and Amber on my model.

After another weekend of editing, I threw the whole design out and went back to the drawing board.

The design was confusing the audience members. And, after everyone said the same thing, I knew I needed a more streamlined approach.

Additionally, there are some steps like Job Analysis and Diffusion that are still question marks for some, but I think that will be cleared up during my presentation on Thursday.

Here's the link to my new model:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30188371/SU-Staff-ID-Model-C

Semi-Final Version - ISD Model

After much thought, I have decided to work with my first draft model for my final presentation. While the second draft was more visually interesting, the first draft actually allows for more of the components of my vision.

Here it is:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29871538

Update on Model

Well, I have posted two different models below. After presenting them to my small feedback group in class, I am definately going with Model 2 below. I need to rework it to specify what is involved prior to the front-end analysis. Actually, I think I am going to use two versions of Model 2. One will be simple - with just the highest level of activities with each model component. And the second will include some bullets under each component. Again, this is based on the class small group feedback. (Building on one of Amber's posts on blog feedback, I feel the same way about the small group feedback received in class. Very valuable.)

Model Reflection: Aha Moment

Generally, I think that the secret to building great instructional content is knowing where you're going or, in other words, defining the "future state." We've talked a lot about how the instruction is the product that fills the gap that takes an organization from the current state to the future state, but we don't talk about how the future state gets articulated. The analysis component of the ADDIE concept is the closest place to where one might define the future state of an area within the ISD process. But, I have struggled with the lack of importance placed on defining the future state in all of the IDDE coursework, because I think this is where ID or training gets a bad name. We dabbled in this area during the change module.

Additionally, this has also forced me to think about how my current job responsibilities fit together. While staff development falls into my area of responsibility here at SU, my title is director of organizational development (OD). OD encompasses numerous activities that help areas move from their current state to their future state (sound familiar?). But, they all depend on an organization's ability to define the future state.

This has all led me to wonder if the ADDIE is dated. Should change or defining the future state become an active part of this concept, especially in our current work environment where change is ubiquitous?

This will be an area of research for me for my model.

Here's my first article about IT, diffusion, change, etc.

http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/diffusion/

First and Second Draft of ID Model

Here's my first draft:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29189862/First-Draft-ISD-Model

Here's my second draft:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29189860/Second-Draft-ISD-Model

Comparing Instructional Design Models

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Comparing Instructional Design Models

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What Is Instructional Design?

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What Is Instructional Design?

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Model Update - Individual Work for 3/4

Here are my answers to the individual work questions:

What are your ID model’s goals/objectives? To create supervisory training programs that for various levels of management staff at Syracuse University. The goal of the supervisory training would be to develop managers who create work environments where employees are: continuously motivated to produce high quality work, authentically customer oriented, adaptable to change, and continuous learners.

What is/are the goal(s) of your supra-system? To educate undergraduates and graduate students in such a way that they will be successful in their career endeavors and to provide graduate learning experiences that inspire the development of future scholars. To operate the University in a fiscally prudent manner that is sustainable over time.

Do the goal/objectives of your ID model align with the mission and goals of the supra-system? Yes. Managers create work environments that have a direct effect on the productivity and output (quality and quantity) of their subordinates. Healthy work environments breed high quality work, little waste, high productivity, and low liability.

What will be your method of delivery – who & what provides instruction? Currently I see a blended learning approach. There may be some classroom but that could be supported by online learning as well. A learning management system will also play a role as a reference area for stored learning content.

What will be your method of instruction – instructional architecture? At this point, I would say that it will depend on what is being taught. But, I don't think I understand this concept well enough yet to say.

What will be your method of grouping for learning? This difficult to determine without any front-end analysis. But, off the top of my head, factual knowledge would be individualistic; communications skills, handling human resource issues, and leadership would be cooperative.

Other logistical / administrative issues or problems? Timing. I am very unsure of how much time will be supported for this endeavor. While many deans, directors and dept. heads applaud my ideas, we do not yet have full top level support for these programs. And, much up-front collaborative work needs to be done to analyze the work of managers here at SU.

What changes, clarifications, edits, etc. can you make to your model based on the feedback you are receiving? None yet.

How are you going to visually/graphically represent your model? In a graphic format in Powerpoint or in Visio. I have developed one that I like that has much emphasis on the front-end analysis that has many loops to show the fluid nature of one model component leading into the other.

Model Reflection - Grouping and Hairball Week

Boy, did I ned to reflect on the reading this week. I first read the module handouts, and they were so disconnected I had to create my own connections between the readings. Then, I read Romi and I felt much better. So much so, I had an epiphany. From his work I came away with the idea that there are 3 big areas to consider when constructing a model for an ID project. 1) Define the constraints of the project. 2) Define the type information needed to be training (i.e., going by Blooms taxonomy for instance). 3) Adopt a goal structure (i.e., cooperative, competitive, individualistic). For me, these large buckets of considerations reasonated strongly. I could easily see how they would fit for me in previous corporate jobs as well as here at the University. I will probably relate this somehow to my rationale for my model. So, it was a progressive week for me in the reflection process. Not bad to go from feeling completely confused to semi-enlightened!

Model Reflection - Objectives

I am a real proponent of writing clear goals and specific learning objectives for all levels of instructional design.

Goals: High level goals center a designer and developer in terms of direction. They help justify the development to those who need to buy into the concept. They explain "what's to come" in terms of the design and delivery. I have recently gone through a bit of this as I have changed the goal of training at the University from a professional development focus to a training focus. Outlined as a goal in the cover letter on our new Learning Opps catalogue, the goal is helpful in explaining the directional change to campus constituencies.

Objectives: While I don't think they are easy to write, I don't know how you could design or develop instruction without knowing where you think you need to land. All of our courses here have objectives attached - though some are less robust than I would like for various and sundry reasons.

Obviously, my model will employ a healthy dose of goals and objectives development. I think it's foundational, no matter the learning context.

Staff Development in Higher Ed

Found an article on the need for better staff development in higher ed. Could be valuable in "selling" my ideas during the front-end analysis phase of implementing my model.

http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/principal/mission.html

Model Reflection: Change

Generally speaking, I think change definately needs to be considered within my model. However, the question is whether it should/could be considered from a macro view (i.e., the institutional vision, mission, competencies, etc.) or a more micro view (i.e., job analysis within job clusters - e.g., supervison, admin support, customer service, etc.)

There was a top-down driven initiative under the Shaw administration called "SUIQ." It attempted to marry higher ed with TQM, and change the culture of SU by offering management and non-exempt training and associated rewards programming. While the effort has systematically vanished, it is alive an well in some depts. or areas that either like it, or don't know what else to do.

The key word in the SUIQ discussion is "top-down." HR has not been successful in recent years in gaining the top level support needed to drive such an initiative. So, we have been creating training we "think" is appropriate. (Maybe this is why we've not been very successful in gaining upper level support!!)

I think it's a new day, and we should go for the "ideal" state that Diamond supports. It will take longer, but I have found that HR seems to have new access to upper management in its new dual-reporting relationship to the Provost and the CFO.

To accomplish this, I envision writing a proposal to convene a cross functional Talent Management working group to collaboratively create a plan of attack on such things as job descriptions, competencies, job clusters or families. Based on that information, we would move through the front-end analysis to define the ideal state on "what" training for support staff would work. I have also thought that a diffusion step might be useful here. I'm not sure where we'd get the money, but it would calibrate the organization on where we are going as a team. I have done this in the past by using a Learning Map process to "get the word out" on the future state. Obviously I've got much more research ahead on this.

Model Update - Reflection on Front-End Analysis

My model will probably be highly influenced by the Diamond model that emphasizes the importance of front-end analysis in curriculum design in the higher ed context. While my model will target staff curriculum and training (rather than student curriculum) I think Diamond's emphasis on front-end analysis would hold true outside of the faculty boundary but within the University boundary.

SU's cultural framework certainly embraces such things as inclusiveness, the use of solid data for decision making, and shared governance, which are best addressed by involving people in the process early in any project - again underlining over emphasis on the front-end analysis component of the model.

Additionally, from an organizational development standpoint, the Chancellor has been trying to develop a new culture that supports her vision of Scholarship in Action. That vision is full of ideals that should effect the future of work here and, ultimately, how staff members should attack their jobs. (Like Diamond, Kaufman placed emphasis on the "desired" state. My model may also be informed by Kaufman's work.) Conceptually, that has not yet been analyzed or digested....and certainly, it has not been articulated. A full scale analysis of that would be most helpful to the training component. Cornell, for instance, completed a cross campus job review to categorize jobs and create a university-wide competency model that has been used as a basis for several practices including staff training and performance reviews. Again, this further supports last evening discussion about how consequences (or the lack thereof) link to training efforts.

So, all in all, front-end analysis will most likely be an important component to my model.

The Diamond Model: Higher Education Planning and Development

Here's a good student (from the University of Georgia) paper on the Diamond model.

http://ejadair.myweb.uga.edu/portfolio/diamond.pdf

Reflection on Reading 2

Here are my takeaways from this week's reading:
* There is a lot of good, useful information in the early writings by the pioneers of this dicipline that is still valuable for today's issues. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the readings were not really stale or dated.
*In particular, the readings (Kaufman and Romiszowski) underscored the importance of a clear "future state" in the front-end analysis review. I am a firm believer that a major issue in front-end analysis is that the future state of the organization (context) or the job is seldom articulated in writing, especially if one is relying on strategic plans and job descriptions respectively for data. They are usually either outdated or, at best, written for the current state, thus being useless in defining the "need" or "gap."
*Bucketing the Issues: I thought that 111-5, Joe Harless' An Ounce of Analysis, was both simple and practical in its approach to bucketing the problems. I've never differentiated the issue at hand by skill/knowledge, environment or motivation before. I've used other, different buckets or labels (i.e., management, leadership, process) but these broad buckets seem better. I had an aha moment here. On that same note, I also like Romy's Performance Problem Analysis Schema. He has more and different buckets, but I would definately try both approaches on real life situations to evaluate them more. It was stimulating to be challenged to a paradigm shift in thinking about approach.

Model - Initial Thoughts

I plan to construct an ISD model that would be applicable for designing and developing training for higher education (University) staff members. Since this area falls within my current responsibilities of my day job here at SU, I look forward to using this as an opportunity to directly connect the theory and lessons learned in class with the goals and objectives of my job. Even after only a cursory review, I can already see that the Diamond model matches with my experiences thus far here, and it will serve as a good basis from which to begin.

Reflection on Practical Exercise II

This is a good, simple, quick exercise that takes theory to real-life, and I think it lends itself to usage in the practical work of ISD. That said, I can also see that, while I wrote answers to each question asked, they may or may not be
"right." Answers represent just 1 (or 2) of many possible options. If answered "incorrectly" in a real setting, there could be stringent consequences as one would be working off of false assumptions. So, if included as a piece of the process in front-end analysis, agreement would need to be made by the stakeholders involved. I think this process would be especially helpful for those in ISD consulting roles working in unknown contexts. Very good tool.

Higher Education Model Usage

Here's another article by Chuck Spuches that references Profs. Diamond and Edmonds.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h8x33534091q811j/fulltext.pdf

Here is an article that contains reference to Robert Diamond's instructional design model.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/xv80215ht7747806/fulltext.html