The ISD Model
The ISD model also called an instructional system model is a tool used in many schools to provide a means for making sound decisions. Through the ISD model, it is possible to know just who is supposed to participate in a learning program, where the program is supposed to take place, why the program is important and how to conduct the program. This is the exact model used in my school. At the same time, it is the model encouraged to be used by the school district.
It has proven effective and efficient enough compared to the other models. ISD model is recommended within the school district because of its systematic approach to learning. The elements of this approach include competency where students are expected to learn at least a skill, attitude, or knowledge in every lesson, sequential of the lessons where they are linked to one another, and lastly evaluation and a tracking system.
Apart from the Instructional design model, there are also other models used for the same purpose of providing means of making sound decisions. These models include Criterion-Referenced Instruction, instruction design (ID), and Performance-based training. The basic aims of the IDS are five and they include: analyzing performance so that it is easy to understand the environment surrounding the learning process.
This will help in formulating goals needed for good performance, designing how the set goals will be achieved, discovering products that will help learners to perform well, implementing the discovered product courseware, evaluating both the learners’ performance and the performance of the implemented and delivered courseware.
When planning a curriculum, the taxonomies of elements of the curriculum are the most essential thing to look out for. The taxonomy is a list of the types of knowledge that is essential for the students to learn. This includes: empirical, rational, conventional, conceptual, cognitive, psychomotor, affective, narrative, and received knowledge. Technology-based learning objectives are important for a school and there are several ways in which it can be encouraged in school.
Before coming up with the goals or objectives, administrators must have sat down and formulated a plan to determine and analyze the reasons for use of technology for teaching and learning purposes. In most cases after the planning process, administrators come up with similar objectives that include: technology supporting inquiry from the students, facilitating and enhancing the process of communication in the classroom, assisting the students in understanding concepts through critical analysis of data, and lastly technology helping to extend information access especially in the use of the internet.
The other objective is assisting students to understand concepts through critical analysis of data. This is especially achievable through the utility of the modeling software for both mathematics and sciences. Scientific concepts sometimes are difficult to grasp at once and even after grasping, there is the potentiality of forgetting them sometimes. Through technology students are able to have a real life perspective of the concepts. This implies that the students will be able to apply the concepts in their real life environment after learning them from class. This enhances learning and removes the worry of forgetting the concepts.
Technology Façade
Technology façade is an assessment program that is used to identify whether a school has an outstanding computer program or not. It consists of a series of questions that aimed at assessing the status the technology within a particular school. The section of this paper is an analysis of a field experience in which I conducted in the school in which I work. The first section of the assessment was checking on the use of technology within my school. Technology use is a common thing in the school that I work. For instance it is not only computer teachers who are left with the work of using the school computers.
Each and every teacher in the school is entitled to be computer literate and also use the help of computer based instructional programs to deliver the content or the lesson. I noticed that being able to use a computer in this school is an added advantage for appointment of any new teacher. There are several teachers who have lost their opportunity to be part of the esteemed teaching staff of this school because their inability to simply operate a computer. Almost everything is done with a computer including the marking of some test, delivering of assignments, students’ evaluations and reporting.
The computer facilities of the school are usually made available especially to the students during periods in which they have free time such as recess. The facilities are only locked up for security reasons at night when everyone has left the school. This means that during normal operational hours the students can use the facilities especially internet services for research and other learning purposes. There is a school computer lab that is enough to accommodate 100 students at a time.
And this facility is usually opened to the students. There is also wireless internet connectivity in which staff and students with portable computers can use to access the internet from any point of the school. Each classroom has a computer which is normally operated by the class teacher. The computer is connected the entire school network system and it has the records of all the students in the class.
In most cases the teachers in the school would use technology for grading the students, preparing their lessons, giving the students out of class assignments and for professional development. For instance there are teachers who never write assignments on the board but refer students to the department page of the school website to look for an uploaded assignment. There are several computer based lessons that the students regularly have such as web quests.
During the web quests, the tutor only provides links to specific sites where the students will find necessary information for the specific task in which they are required to accomplish. Such exercises are important to the student for enhancing research skills and presentation skills because at the end of it all they will have to use power point presentation to organize their findings
Another common thing with the software found in the computers, is that they are regularly updated so that they meet the changes that constantly occur with the curriculum. The software vendors are usually up to speed in providing the updated versions of their software. Some of the updates have to be downloaded from the internet and this even makes it easier since the updates run automatically.
The second section of the analysis concerns the necessary infrastructure. It is not just enough to provide the technological resources required for teaching. There are several infrastructures that are required to go handy with these technology devices. For instance, teachers have to be trained in using the different technological devices including the computers in order to save on the cost of having a specialist who serves the purpose of guiding the students through the different programs.
Technology in Classroom Instructions
There are various forms of technology that can be used for classroom instructions. These forms only differ with the purpose in which they are intended for. Each form has its own unique objective that is aimed at enhancing the learning process. Some of these forms include: computers and internet, projections, video content, handheld technologies such as palm top computers, and various educational software.
Taking a look at the software programs, it is noticed that they have more specific instructional goals. For instance, a word processor might help a student develop good communication skills. Spreadsheet software and database will instill in a student the ability to organize things, something essential for the positive development of a student. Then there are modeling software for example in chemistry there could be software that gives every important detail of all the elements of the periodic table. These modeling software programs would assist a student in understanding scientific and mathematical concepts.
Technology in the classroom assists the students to have a wide range of information access and hence being exposed to more resources. This is achievable especially with the use of internet to enhance learning. The internet provides access to a lot of information which can be very useful to students. Internet access has even been made easier by introduction of easily portable gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops and hand held computers. All these technological devices can be used in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning.
Hardware programs are important in the running of the entire school computer systems. This include the finance, registration, students and staff records, examination and also in the teaching and learning process. Hardware include computer monitors, processing unit, keyboards, mouse, networking cables, network modem, power point projectors, televisions, video players, air conditioners, school transport such as staff bus and student bus and radio players.
These are just the main ones that are needed within the school. But computer hardware programs have to generally meet the needs of a particular school and therefore the vendor has to be a major consideration before acquiring any of them. It is good to avoid mistakes that come as a result of wrongful acquisition of particular computer equipment. In most cases, such mistakes may lead to failure to use the hardware in a manner that substantiates its cost.
Another software program that is needed is the integrated learning system. It is a software program that serves the purpose of delivering content material during instruction. It requires special hardware for its functioning and these hardware programs are usually very expensive but worth it in the end. It guarantees success but after a long period of exposure to the students. It also requires special training for its installation, operation and maintenance.
Therefore within a school, the teachers are required to familiarize themselves with the software especially mathematics, science and language teachers. This is because the software focuses basically on teaching the basics of learning such as numeracy and literacy skills.