EDLD+5368+Instructional+Design

EDLD 5368 Instructional Design III. Model, design, and disseminate curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. IV. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies. V. Design, develop, evaluate, and model products created using technology resources to improve and enhance their productivity and professional practice. || 2 –Knows how to use technology tools to solve problems, evaluate results, and communicate information in a variety of formats for diverse audiences. 3 –Knows how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluation instruction that effectively utilizes current technology for teaching the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for all students. || ** Course EDLD 5368 Instructional Design: ** A. Candidates will create online course focusing on learning experiences that include Web 2.0 resources, assistive technologies and best practices for online learning. || ** A. - 15 hrs **
 * II. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies.

Reflection:
 * Total: 15 hrs. ** ||

In the class EDLD 5368 Instructional Design, we had to create an online course in Schoology, get participants, and show how they actively participated in the course. I learned a lot from this assignment, especially after attending the Schoology webinar. In relation to setting up an online course, I learned how to set up an account as an administrator, upload documents in either MS Word or PDF format to the courseware, invite people to be a participant in the course, post and monitor a discussion or blog, and set up and accept assignments written and submitted by students electronically. The most important things I learned did not have to do with the Schoology courseware, but focused on the Understanding by Design model. I learned how to write authentic assessments and create rubrics to measure true understanding of a given topic. This will surely change the way I teach in the future.

The Understanding by Design model really explains why teachers use assessments. In the past, I would create a test or quiz over what had been taught, not the other way around. This design encourages teachers to “begin with the end in mind”—to truly determine what we want students to know and understand about a particular topic—and create assessments from that knowledge. In the past, I usually just tested students for basic knowledge (recitation of facts), and threw a few application problems in there for good measure. This design is all about “authentic assessment”—assessing students on true understanding and transferability of the knowledge learned. We had to create at least 3 authentic assessments and grading rubrics for our online course, which was the hardest, but most rewarding part of the assignment. It is much more difficult to write assessments and rubrics in this manner, but it is much more rewarding for the teacher, as well as the students.

For this assignment, we did not work in groups, but we did invite other Lamar graduate students to participate in our Schoology course and commented on each other’s activities and assignments. Colleagues made suggestions or comments to our work and were able to see what sorts of activities other students created. I think we were all a little confused and frustrated by the Schoology website at first because it was all new to many of us, including the Lamar instructors, and didn’t quite know what to do. The web-conferences were very helpful in clearing up a lot of confusion and alleviating a lot of apprehension about the assignment.

I would really like to find out more about the Understanding by Design model and find other teachers who are also interested in this teaching model. I would like to determine what types of other schools use this model and to what level they are achieving success. What puzzles me is why this type of teaching model is not emphasized or used pervasively in our district, as it clearly demonstrates the type of teaching and instruction we all strive to give.

Citations: Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2000). //Understanding by Design.// Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.