Week 4

1. Chapters in Section V identify trends and issues in IDT in various contexts: business & industry; military; health care education; P-12 education; and post-secondary education. Select at least 3 of these 5 contexts and compare/contrast the IDT trends and issues. Then explain how they are similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work.

Military

Trends 

*International Responsibilities of a national or multinational military force 

Countries use products and training in countries all over the world. For example, many US allies purchase weaponry and training from the United States. International partnerships are a must. There are cultural diversities among the clients and gaining and learning solutions need to accommodate different audiences. 

*New technologies

New technology is a wonderful thing until it gets into the hands of a country's adversary. Using secure networked and limiting the number of applications are ways in which the military tires to prevent illegal access to it's technology. Designers have to learn to work around any change to the training or instruction of a product due to the security solutions. 

Issues:

*Funding - How to stay within budget and still provide the training and technology to every member of the military.

*Technological Range - the problem here is that the range of equipment may be a calculator to a sophisticated simulation for a fighter pilot on a large scale. The designers must adapt to a variety of requirements. 

*Delivery Environment- Instructional designers must recognize that training takes place in the classroom, in garrison, in base and shipboard environments and wherever military members are deployed, sometimes even in combat. Training in all of those scenarios means training products must be made for all environments. 

*Design Constraints -Unlike major corporations that have training departments, the military uses subject-matter experts and provides them with instructional materials. Instructional designers must create materials that explain the lesson plans step by step and incorporate learning theory as well. Materials changes at least every three years. 

*People- recruiting good people and retaining highly trained and skilled service members. 

*Alternative Training Solutions -Designers must keep in mind that instruction that adheres to culturally based considerations increases the likelihood that those learners will succeed. Allowing individual learners to select learning options allows for the learner control. 

P-12

Trends:

System - involves large scale projects 

Product - smaller scale projects more prescriptive to certain issues

Classroom - encompasses the instructor, students, and environment

Issues:

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - strongly influence decent technology practices in the US.

*Students must have computer literacy to take part in technology learning

*Student use of technology at low-level takes limit overall impact on student learning

*Teachers myst buy in to the system and use it with fidelity

*Availability and access to computers and resources  - it is not the same across the country

*Technical, administrative and peer support - teachers lack the support from administrators and peers.

*Teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward technology differ across classrooms.

*Teachers' technological and content knowledge differ across classrooms.

Business and Industry

Trends:

*Since the 1980s there has been a steady growth of employee training in business settings.

*Many changes in the training industry and the need for better, faster, cheaper results. Instructional designers must respond to these trends and challenges.

Issues:

*The field today is associated with more than producing instruction. It now analyzes human performance problems, identifies root courses of those problems, considers solutions and address the problems and implements an appropriate solution. 

*There are three broad categories that an instructional designer may take in the corporate setting. 1) sole designer 2) team member of a design ten 3) external designer. All three require very different training and job descriptions.

*The three broad categories must communicate to make an effective instructional design.

I feel that the I can strongly relate to the issues of the P-12 ID. Students understanding of computers and literacy of technology varies greatly in a classroom. It is hard to meet the needs of each learner.  I also know that many times you do not have the support of the administration or technical support that you need in the classroom. I read in the response section tonight about one of our own class members who does not have adequate support through staff development to implement new technology in her classroom. I do not know what the solution to that is because I feel like the common core - making all learning equal across the country is NOT the right way to go, so making technology equal across the country will hold students back also. It is a tricky situation.  I also related to the need for better, faster, and cheaper results from the business field. I feel like we are always trying to find the best way to reach students within our small budgets. My favorite thing I read in the military section was how allowing learners to select how they learn increased their understanding of the material. I think this is what our schools are lacking right now. We have lost the differentiation of our classrooms, and the learners are not being considered. 

2. Chapters in Section VI discuss global trends and issues in IDT. As the world’s population grows exponentially, we face unprecedented challenges that have implications for learning. How and can we prepare our youth to address the problems of living in a world with 9 billion people when the earth’s resources cannot sustain that many? Does our current education system, curriculum, and instructional practices help learners foster the complex problem-solving skills necessary to tackle these issues? Are there methods and practices used in European and Asian countries that we should use here in the US? Why or why not? 

Honestly, the number 9 billion scares me! How can we prepare our youth to address the problems of living in a world where earth's resources cannot sustain that many... that question frightens me too. Especially because I have a 1 year old. 

We must change our thinking from those that have and those that don't and think of the benefit for all rather than something being done by the rich for the poor.  We must start listening to what the actual problems are. We must also embrace opportunities for creative collaboration, and respect complexity of a problem.

 I think we need to start our students with their ability to creatively problem solve at a younger age. I think our colleges are doing a great job of producing students who think outside the box and provide great problem solving ideas. However, I feel like our K-12 students are being held back by the laws that keep standardized testing in place. I think they cause the exact opposite effect of creating problem solvers!

I don't think that our instructional practices help learners foster complex problem-solving skills necessary to tackle these issues. In fact, I think that we are raising a more ego centric population right now instead of an awareness of the world and problems around them. 

IDT is recognized as an integral part of educational process in Japan and Korea. This has accelerated the IDT principles in education and training in both countries. I think that our focus needs to be applied more strongly in technology. We are using technology at lower levels than our Asian counterparts. They are using technology for everyone, we are putting kids in technology magnets and only giving our technology funds to certain schools. I think a wider distribution and expectation needs to be set for us to live up to the Asian system. However, I believe we have parts of our education system that they lack. We have such a diverse learning environment. I think a combination of both systems is the best case scenario.