CS5_ADDIE research

In this blog post, I am going to touch on ADDIE, which is an acronym for..

• Analysis--determining learning problems, needs, and goals
• Design--planning content and delivery
• Development--creating/producing learning materials
• Implementation--delivering the process
• Evaluation--receiving feedback for revision

There are many different models that instructional designers use to prepare learning experiences; however, ADDIE is the most common instructional design model. It is systematic in that each stage relies on the successful completion of the one before it (ADDIE video). And as such, it is prescriptive in nature, but it is also descriptive of the stages of any instructional design, or problem solving, model (Addie Instructional Design Process video). For instance, my last couple of blog posts have been in regards to Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenarios (Hanaway, 2011), which follow a similar model:

• Target Audience
• Materials
• Objectives

• Procedure
• Web 2.0 Tool

• Social Participation/Learning
• Making Connections

• Create/Produce

• Assessment
• Reflection

And nearly all teachers are familiar with Bloom's Learning Taxonomy (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation) (see Bloom's and others' here).

The ADDIE model is one that all (prospective) instructional designers should know and know how to implement. It seems that it is so common, in fact, that it comes up in job interviews. Interviewees are often given scenarios or case studies to test not only their knowledge of ADDIE but how to adequately implement its different stages in effectively designing learning experiences (ASTD discussion board).

ADDIE Model

Resources:

ADDIE (video). Retrieved from http://youtu.be/jiLLz1SaxGc
Addie Instructional Design Process (video). Retrieved from http://youtu.be/0vXegHDzrBg
ADDIE Model (picture). Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/htm/IDC_instructionaldesignmodels.htm#addie 
ASTD (discussion board). Retrieved from http://community.astd.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6401041/m/14210246/p/1
Bloom's Learning Taxonomy (and others'). Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/htm/IDC_instructionaldesignmodels.htm#bloom
Hanaway, R. (2011). RILS Planning. Retrieved from http://course.online.fullsail.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=lms.activitiesAssignment&activityId=451713

BP9_RILS links

Jessica, a classmate of mine, teaches college algebra and has developed an amazing relevant and innovative learning scenario for her students using virtual manipulatives. I had no idea that there is a National Library of Virtual Manipulatives when I was preparing adults for the Math section of the GED years ago.. the website's been in existence since 1999 and is an awesome resource for teachers and students. You will find a comment from me, regarding how wonderfully dedicated she and her colleagues are, here.

Hunter, another classmate, teaches a college electronics class and came up with a RILS project that features polleverywhere.com, which makes using cell phones to poll learners, much like clickers or other polling devices that are used in education or for training purposes, practical, easy and fun! You'll find my comment to his blog post here.

BP8_RILS Publication

Brief Overview:

Web 2.0 technologies not only give Internet users the potential to interact with the web as well as other human beings, who are on the Internet, actively (as opposed to being passive consumers of information) via social networking sites, for example, but they also give users the potential to create change. In this Learning Scenario, adult learners will understand the impact they can have on the world community by using social media and their professional skills to solve real-life problems with Sparked, an online micro-volunteering application.

1. Target Audience-

Millennial Generation (born between mid-late 1970s and mid 1990s). Learners (in Higher Education or the workforce) primed for civic engagement and using social media to solve problems.

2. Materials–

Instructor

·       RILS plan

·       Computer/mobile device and Internet connection

·       Google docs/form

·       Facebook account*

Learners

·       Interest/motivation to apply (professional) knowledge/skills to help others

·       Computer/mobile device and Internet connection

·       Between 2 minutes and 2 hours of spare time

·       Facebook account*

*A LinkedIn group can be used as an alternative to Facebook; however, all learners should still like and comment on Sparked’s Facebook page.

3. Objectives–

At the end of this scenario the learner will be able to: (Knowledge) Identify the social causes he or she cares about and the skills he or she would like to apply towards those causes in creating a Sparked profile; (Comprehension) Match or choose a volunteer challenge based on interest and ability; (Application) Complete the challenge (or solve the problem) in applying professional knowledge and skills to produce the product or solution; (Analysis) Compare the online volunteer experience to in-person volunteer experience(s), or experience in applying knowledge and expertise in in–school/work projects, in a status update on the Sparked Facebook page; (Synthesis) Report the overall Sparked experience on Facebook by writing a short persuasive status update, encouraging his or her friends to micro-volunteer at Sparked or to find and share other ways to harness the true potential of Web 2.0 technologies for change; (Evaluation) Evaluate the experience by completing the Google docs/form (survey).

 

4.     Procedure–

·       GET THE WORD OUT Prepare an email or blog post or another kind of electronic announcement regarding Sparked (Ideally, it would be available as an advertisement or prepared in advance to send out to whomever is interested in micro-volunteering; it could be another option for employees who would like to get involved in a philanthropic activity and don’t necessarily have the time); the opportunity could also be presented to learners or employees in class or during a meeting.

·       PROVIDE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS for accessing Sparked, posting to Facebook and completing the Google docs/form.

o   Watch the one minute commercial or the YouTube Rolex videoing regarding Sparked;

o   Go to Sparked.com, choose a cause or causes of interest, select your skills and sign in with your social network (Twitter, Facebook, Google account, or LinkedIn); or sign up for a Sparked account;

o   Choose a challenge;

o   Proceed to complete the challenge;

o   Like Sparked on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparked/116041028456768;

o   Post a message on Sparked’s Wall regarding your experience;

o   Post a persuasive/motivational status update on your Facebook wall to encourage discussion of and participation in harnessing the power of human potential for the greater good via social media;

o   Complete the survey and submit your challenge product in the appropriate place on the survey;

o   Continue to micro-volunteer on Sparked!

·       ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION or continued participation by asking learners to share their stories via a blog post on a volunteer blog for the organization/company; possibly provide incentives to people who complete their challenges—gamify the experience.

5.     Web 2.0 Tool–

Sparked is a website that makes volunteering mobile and easy. Busy adults can apply their knowledge and expertise for the greater good on their computers or mobile devices for minutes of their time.

Sparked website: http://www.sparked.com/

Informational video: http://youtu.be/HPcbjLJXelU

6. Social Participation/Social Learning–

The target audience will realize the power of the relationships between their connections on social networking sites, like Facebook, as they share their experiences in using social media to affect change in the world for the greater good and persuade their friends to join them, through status updates and comments, in “moving human kind forward” (Colker, http://youtu.be/HPcbjLJXelU) via Web 2.0 tools, or applications, like Sparked.

7. Making Connections– Learners will connect with:

a) Previous knowledge in order to create new knowledge. 

Learners will use their knowledge and skills effectively in the online environment to solve new problems. They will apply what they know and can do to help people in organizations similar to or different from their own that may be dealing with similar or different problems as their own (for example, designing a logo, editing a Wikipedia page, or finding ways to attract more Twitter followers). In working with the organizations on their problems, learners will share relevant and innovative information and benefit from real-world learning opportunities by being able to use insights from practice in other current or future endeavors.

b) Something that is relevant for them (the target audience).

Initially, learners will be drawn to micro-volunteering on Sparked because it is mobile and easy (bits of time). Additionally, however, they will be attracted by the autonomy they have in choosing volunteer opportunities, or challenges, that best match their skills and expertise. Furthermore, because Sparked is social (volunteers receive feedback from the organizations they are volunteering for through an answers feed) they will be motivated to improve their work and complete the tasks they have taken on. Finally, practice makes perfect. The challenges they take on will provide the learners with more time to use their skills and in effect continue to improve them.

c) With a local or global audience.

Sparked provides a platform for organizations around the world to post challenges; therefore, learners will have the opportunity to connect with people who are in need of their talents, abilities and interests in this country or another one. And what is nice about the site is that it does not aim to compete with or replace organizations that recruit volunteers for in-person activities; rather its opportunities are complementary to and often work in conjunction with in-person opportunities that take much longer to complete.   

8.     Create/Produce –

Learners will create or produce a challenge product. Meaning, depending on the challenge they choose to complete, the outcome of their work for the sponsoring organization is the product of their efforts. Some examples might include a brainstormed list of ways to run a social media club at school; thank you notes to donors; a website; research findings; translations; and more. 

9.     Assessment –

Learners will be assessed based on their participation in the activity as well as by their challenge product being completed, which will be submitted with their survey results. Additionally, Sparked is working on preparing a link for its volunteers to be able to put evidence of their micro-volunteering activities on their resumes (another method for Instructors to ensure learners’ participation in the activities). 

10. Reflection – The reflection for the RILS has two parts.

1.     To reflect on the experience, the learner will fill out a survey in a Google docs/form. He or she will also like the Sparked Facebook page and comment on it as well as provide at least one status update of their own on Facebook.

2.     The person who implements the RILS will the opportunity to evaluate and improve on the process by summarizing and analyzing the survey data in order to look for ways to incentivize it for the learners.  He or she may also choose to share the results of the survey with the learners as well as with his or her peers through a blog post or in some other public forum.

PE9_iTunes

Another feature of iTunes that I’d like to highlight here is in regards to creating a new library folder, which is useful for separating content and is applicable to using iTunes at work.

In order to create a new library, you first have to quit iTunes. Then press option key + click on the left mouse button as you go to reopen it. A small window will open that looks like this:

Click on create a new library for an empty copy of iTunes and name it:

It is important to note that this is not an extension of your current library; rather, it is an independent library. Some suggestions for how to use this library include: for audio/video files for work; to transcribe interviews/speaker notes; to create sound effects/background music (Lynda.com iTunes 10 Essential Training).

PE8_iTunes

I chose to look more closely at iTunes next in part because it is a program I do not know and in part because I figured I might be able to do more with iMovie having a firmer grasp of software that works hand in hand with it. I’ve also looked at using GarageBand '11 and will write about that in a future blog post.

Believe it or not, while I have had iTunes installed on my computers before, I haven’t taken advantage of its features like the radio or podcasts—features that can be used without a portable media device like an iPod or an iPhone, which I always thought of as gateway devices for using iTunes. In order to use these features, you do have to create an iTunes account, however, which is free.

As for podcasts, I want to highlight the fact that they can be downloaded on podcast directory websites like podcastalley.com or techpodcasts.com (Lynda.com iTunes 10 Essential Training) but there is an advantage to using iTunes with podcasts, and that is that it allows for enhanced podcasts that have sections or links attributed to them. It’s also easy to use because Apple has a directory of podcasts that have been submitted for listening; and iTunes lets you sample them before subscribing to them.  

Things to know about podcasts:

·      When you download a file, you subscribe to its podcast; and it’s automatically updated (an Internet connection is needed).

·      Most podcasts are free.

·      Some podcasts come out a couple of times a day, others once a day, week, etc.

·      Some websites offer podcasts that are not in iTunes; rather, they have a URL that links to the podcasts (RSS). You can copy the URL and use iTunes to subscribe to it: 

In iTunes, go to Advanced/Subscribe to Podcast...

Enter the RSS URL.

Sample URL is from Lynda.com even though Apple lists its podcast.

PE7_InDesign

In going through the chapters of the "Up and Running with InDesign" training, I began to realize that the art of using InDesign comes with learning how to apply effects to the document's text and images as well as manipulating its frames. For example, indents, fonts, font sizes, etc. all make a difference to not only the layout of information but also to its legibility. 

Sample changes made to text formatting in InDesign

Another example of what I mean refers to changing the gradient in a background color, or in adding a drop shadow behind a graphic.

The knowledge and skill that is involved in creating an attractive, reader-worthy document (like a magazine, newspaper, book layout, or an interactive media-like application) are what make knowing how to use InDesign invaluable to the working professional and her industry. One thing that would be great to see is an apprenticeship of sorts training, in the workplace, for this program. I believe that it would make learning it much easier and most relevant.

PE6_InDesign

I've been exploring new technologies recently and one that's come up in instructional design conversations is Adobe's InDesign, which handles text and graphics for professionally composed documents that are to be printed or e-published. For this, I decided to take another Lynda.com course called, "Up and Running with InDesign." And it's put together to do just that, to get people started using InDesign in the shortest time possible. It covers everything from setting up a document to moving around in the document and formatting it, the text, and images. In other words, it's supposed to be a quick introduction to using the program; however, honestly, it felt more like a refresher course and shortcut tutorial than an actual course for beginners. Therefore, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick review of the basics. For those of us who need an introductory tutorial, I would highly recommend Lynda.com's much longer "InDesign CS5 Essential Training."

That being said, there is one thing that I should stress about using InDesign, and that is that it is all about efficiency and productivity. So, knowing the keyboard shortcuts and how to manage pages (by making automated changes) is extremely important. Whichever way you get there, whichever course you choose, you're golden!

In the following image, you'll see just how complicated these shortcuts can be! In fact, this one was called the "mash your fist + N" shortcut, which is used to insert a current page number to a master page:

PE5_Google Doc's Form

In creating the Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario, a second Web 2.0 tool (the third one reviewed in this blog) that I have chosen to use is the Google Document’s Form. And while I have used Google docs before, I have never used its form-making capability. Again, this is a very intuitive tool, making it very easy to create surveys and populated spreadsheets. However, some things occurred to me in going through the trainings presented at Lynda.com:
 

·      It is important to consider the types of questions you will want to ask your respondents (options include: paragraph text, multiple choice, check boxes, choose from a list, scale, and grid);

·      But perhaps even more important is determining the kinds of data you will want to synthesize and analyze;

·      And, finally, decide if you’d like to respond to the respondents’ submissions either by sending an automated message or by sharing the results of the collected data with them once you’ve received and worked with all of the returns. 

Here is the sample survey I’ve created for my learners in Google Doc's Form:

PE4_Sparked

An ongoing assignment for class has been to evaluate Web 2.0 tools for personal and professional use. In this blog, I’ve shared two of my evaluations with you regarding Sparked and Visual.ly. My last blog post was a one-minute commercial for Sparked. In this blog post, I am going to share my practical experience in becoming a proficient user of Sparked and the insight it’s given me for planning to use the tool in a classroom or workplace setting. This is but one step in creating a Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario.

As you may remember, Sparked is a microvolunteering site, which allows its users to volunteer their skills and interests online in nearly the same amount of time it takes to read through their Facebook Newsfeeds. Microvolunteering differs from virtual volunteering in its process, which is “convenient, bite-sized, crowd-sourced, and network managed,” and in the end, organizations on Sparked are not looking for a person to volunteer with them, they’re looking for a result (para. 6 and 15, http://blog.sparked.com/2010/12/24/why-microvolunteering-is-not-virtual-volunteering/).

Here are some other things I’ve learned in using Sparked:

·      In reality, the more expert you are in a specific skill area, the less time it may take you to respond to a challenge, or volunteer opportunity (mere minutes);

·      You may access Sparked and its organizations challenges on any mobile device; however, some of the challenges may require you to use a computer and programs that may not have mobile versions like Adobe InDesign, which may be used to design a logo;

·      When choosing your challenge, consider the number of volunteers who have already answered the challenge and their responses. For instance, their answers may be complete and although the challenge is still available, there may be no need to add another answer.

·      Determine whether or not you agree with an organization’s cause before you decide to answer its challenge.

·      You will notice that it’s not difficult to brainstorm ideas or give feedback on more than one challenge; many microvolunteers do this, so don’t limit yourself and your chances to help as many organizations as possible (but do be careful not to repeat answers or add unnecessary information);

·      Read answers that other volunteers have posted to challenges for inspiration and motivation as well as to know whether the challenges warrant another answer;

·      You can choose a challenge based on recommendations as well as your causes and skills;

·      Seemingly, right-brained skills are in highest demand;

·      You can add more causes and skills to your profile by editing it; you can also type in a new cause or skill;

·      And there is the option to add your Twitter name and/or LinkedIn URL to your profile.

In the following screenshots, you will see a challenge that I took on and the answer I gave in response to that challenge: 

Finally, if you'd like to get to know more about the culture of microvolunteering, check out Sparked's blog.