Reflection
In both the 5-10 and 10-20 year spans, my perception of the future of distance learning is that both in the k-12 and adult age groups distance learning would be the predominant program in all schools. This could be either in a hybrid form or in a complete online form. This would be because Video conferencing or other synchronous methods could be used to replace the traditional classroom. Traditional classes would become absolute as more of our young learners become more technology savvy as this is the trend of our new baby boomers. Also traditional schools that have barely promoted online courses on their Home pages if at all (Gambescia and Paolucci 2009), would then be one of the prominent features on most school websites and probably even the only thing on most websites. Then those remaining diehard traditional school would be talking about reverse Academic Fidelity and Integrity Attributes. Also the Helix module of education comprising of universities, governments and business (Siemens 2010) would even be more in place as one body.
I can as an Instructional Designer serve as a proponent of Distance Education by making sure that I am an integral part of this phenomenon aspect of distance learning in whatever field I am working in. Also I can make sure that Academic Fidelity and Integrity are maintained (Gambescia, & Paolucci, 2009) in Distance Education.
I would be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance by making sure that the ADDIE model is followed when designing programs, aiming to be as fluent as possible in multimedia technologies and communal learning especially with the expectancy of neomillenial learning styles. According to Dr. Saba, Theory in Distance Learning is a guide or map that would help Instructional Designers plan effectively and we must as designers endeavor to support its continual progress. I also need to consider all aspects of the system, the learner, the content, the method and material and the technology. I would have to remove any extraneous materials to make my work be professional. Basically I would make sure especially if I am in the Education field that discussion groups and collaboration are all an integral part of online forums. One of the things I have learned especially from my research this week was that persons view online programs as being rigorous but we can overcome it all and still be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.
References
Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly. 28(1), 7-12.
Gambescia, S. , & Paolucci, R. (2009) Academic Fidelity and Integrity as Attributes of University Online Degree Program Offerings. University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center.
http://www.westga.edu/_distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html
Simonson, M. L., Smaldino, S., Albright, M. & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance. Foundations of Distance Education. Pearson USA.
Video Program: Simonson (Dr.), & Saba, (Dr,)"Theory and Distance Learning"
Monday, December 27, 2010
Reflection
Reflection
In both the 5-10 and 10-20 year spans, my perception of the future of distance learning is that both in the k-12 and adult age groups distance learning would be the predominant program in all schools. This could be either in a hybrid form or in a complete online form. This would be because Video conferencing or other synchronous methods could be used to replace the traditional classroom. Traditional classes would become absolute as more of our young learners become more technology savvy as this is the trend of our new baby boomers. Also traditional schools that have barely promoted online courses on their Home pages if at all (Gambescia and Paolucci 2009), would then be one of the prominent features on most school websites and probably even the only thing on most websites. Then those remaining diehard traditional school would be talking about reverse Academic Fidelity and Integrity Attributes. Also the Helix module of education comprising of universities, governments and business (Siemens 2010) would even be more in place as one body.
I can as an Instructional Designer serve as a proponent of Distance Education by making sure that I am an integral part of this phenomenon aspect of distance learning in whatever field I am working in. Also I can make sure that Academic Fidelity and Integrity are maintained (Gambescia, & Paolucci, 2009) in Distance Education.
I would be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance by making sure that the ADDIE model is followed when designing programs, aiming to be as fluent as possible in multimedia technologies and communal learning especially with the expectancy of neomillenial learning styles. According to Dr. Saba, Theory in Distance Learning is a guide or map that would help Instructional Designers plan effectively and we must as designers endeavor to support its continual progress. I also need to consider all aspects of the system, the learner, the content, the method and material and the technology. I would have to remove any extraneous materials to make my work be professional. Basically I would make sure especially if I am in the Education field that discussion groups and collaboration are all an integral part of online forums. One of the things I have learned especially from my research this week was that persons view online programs as being rigorous but we can overcome it all and still be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.
References
Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly. 28(1), 7-12.
Gambescia, S. , & Paolucci, R. (2009) Academic Fidelity and Integrity as Attributes of University Online Degree Program Offerings. University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center. http://www.westga.edu/_distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html
Simonson, M. L., Smaldino, S., Albright, M. & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance. Foundations of Distance Education. Pearson USA.
Video Program: Simonson (Dr.), & Saba, (Dr,)"Theory and Distance Learning"
In both the 5-10 and 10-20 year spans, my perception of the future of distance learning is that both in the k-12 and adult age groups distance learning would be the predominant program in all schools. This could be either in a hybrid form or in a complete online form. This would be because Video conferencing or other synchronous methods could be used to replace the traditional classroom. Traditional classes would become absolute as more of our young learners become more technology savvy as this is the trend of our new baby boomers. Also traditional schools that have barely promoted online courses on their Home pages if at all (Gambescia and Paolucci 2009), would then be one of the prominent features on most school websites and probably even the only thing on most websites. Then those remaining diehard traditional school would be talking about reverse Academic Fidelity and Integrity Attributes. Also the Helix module of education comprising of universities, governments and business (Siemens 2010) would even be more in place as one body.
I can as an Instructional Designer serve as a proponent of Distance Education by making sure that I am an integral part of this phenomenon aspect of distance learning in whatever field I am working in. Also I can make sure that Academic Fidelity and Integrity are maintained (Gambescia, & Paolucci, 2009) in Distance Education.
I would be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance by making sure that the ADDIE model is followed when designing programs, aiming to be as fluent as possible in multimedia technologies and communal learning especially with the expectancy of neomillenial learning styles. According to Dr. Saba, Theory in Distance Learning is a guide or map that would help Instructional Designers plan effectively and we must as designers endeavor to support its continual progress. I also need to consider all aspects of the system, the learner, the content, the method and material and the technology. I would have to remove any extraneous materials to make my work be professional. Basically I would make sure especially if I am in the Education field that discussion groups and collaboration are all an integral part of online forums. One of the things I have learned especially from my research this week was that persons view online programs as being rigorous but we can overcome it all and still be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.
References
Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly. 28(1), 7-12.
Gambescia, S. , & Paolucci, R. (2009) Academic Fidelity and Integrity as Attributes of University Online Degree Program Offerings. University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center. http://www.westga.edu/_distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html
Simonson, M. L., Smaldino, S., Albright, M. & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance. Foundations of Distance Education. Pearson USA.
Video Program: Simonson (Dr.), & Saba, (Dr,)"Theory and Distance Learning"
Friday, December 17, 2010
Blog Assignment: Analyzing Scope Creep
Thursday, December 9, 2010Blog Assignment: Analyzing Scope Creep
Blog Assignment - Analyzing Scope Creep
Working in a school that did not make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), has shown me how the scope of the teachers’ job could increase rapidly. This particular school had made the APY at the end of that first year I was working there. However, in order for the school to be taken off the list of not meeting the standards academically, the school had to achieve the AYP two years in a row. During this time, teachers underwent intense pressure to meet the various intervention strategies that were being implemented by both the Regional Office and the School District. Teachers were forced to deviate from the ongoing curriculum so as to use the various methods that were being given to improve the AYP situation.
On many instances, the teachers felt that it was the Principal who wanted these changes. Many of them had years of experience teaching the curriculum but now these new methods were being introduced radically so that the school could achieve their goals and learners could learn. Many of the new strategies were coming from Instructional Designers who the School District was hiring to make these changes.
Because the Principal was new, even though she had years of experience doing on the job teaching, she too was taken by surprise by these new methods of teaching which were being forced on her and also the teachers. She was betwixt and between the two forces. Teachers thought she should have been the one to intervene on their behalf and the School District and the Region wanted her to play a better part to help teachers use these invention strategies. These strategies were being changed at a rapid pace and even the Principal who had other jobs to do could hardly keep up with them. It is my belief that she did try to alleviate the scope creep, that is the tendency of those above to try to improve a situation even as the situation is in progress. (Portny, S., Mantel S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S. Sutton, M. & Kramer, B. 2007), but these directives were coming from above so had to be adhered to. In addition, the principal was new and had her own challenges to overcome.
Because of my position, I was not in the real heat of things, but I did try to do my part so that the Principal did not have my job to worry about also.
The good thing about this is that it ended up well for the school. The school did achieve the AYP the following year. They would not have to continue using the various intervention methods, but would be able to use the normal curriculum in the District.
What I have learned is that even though there might be scope creep, changes in scope might not always be a bad thing, it can be beneficial and should be handled in a business-like manner go to http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
References
http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., & Sutton, M. (2009). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects. John Wiley and Sons. USA.
Blog Assignment - Analyzing Scope Creep
Working in a school that did not make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), has shown me how the scope of the teachers’ job could increase rapidly. This particular school had made the APY at the end of that first year I was working there. However, in order for the school to be taken off the list of not meeting the standards academically, the school had to achieve the AYP two years in a row. During this time, teachers underwent intense pressure to meet the various intervention strategies that were being implemented by both the Regional Office and the School District. Teachers were forced to deviate from the ongoing curriculum so as to use the various methods that were being given to improve the AYP situation.
On many instances, the teachers felt that it was the Principal who wanted these changes. Many of them had years of experience teaching the curriculum but now these new methods were being introduced radically so that the school could achieve their goals and learners could learn. Many of the new strategies were coming from Instructional Designers who the School District was hiring to make these changes.
Because the Principal was new, even though she had years of experience doing on the job teaching, she too was taken by surprise by these new methods of teaching which were being forced on her and also the teachers. She was betwixt and between the two forces. Teachers thought she should have been the one to intervene on their behalf and the School District and the Region wanted her to play a better part to help teachers use these invention strategies. These strategies were being changed at a rapid pace and even the Principal who had other jobs to do could hardly keep up with them. It is my belief that she did try to alleviate the scope creep, that is the tendency of those above to try to improve a situation even as the situation is in progress. (Portny, S., Mantel S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S. Sutton, M. & Kramer, B. 2007), but these directives were coming from above so had to be adhered to. In addition, the principal was new and had her own challenges to overcome.
Because of my position, I was not in the real heat of things, but I did try to do my part so that the Principal did not have my job to worry about also.
The good thing about this is that it ended up well for the school. The school did achieve the AYP the following year. They would not have to continue using the various intervention methods, but would be able to use the normal curriculum in the District.
What I have learned is that even though there might be scope creep, changes in scope might not always be a bad thing, it can be beneficial and should be handled in a business-like manner go to http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
References
http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., & Sutton, M. (2009). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects. John Wiley and Sons. USA.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Blog Assignment: Analyzing Scope Creep
Blog Assignment - Analyzing Scope Creep
Working in a school that did not make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), has shown me how the scope of the teachers’ job could increase rapidly. This particular school had made the APY at the end of that first year I was working there. However, in order for the school to be taken off the list of not meeting the standards academically, the school had to achieve the AYP two years in a row. During this time, teachers underwent intense pressure to meet the various intervention strategies that were being implemented by both the Regional Office and the School District. Teachers were forced to deviate from the ongoing curriculum so as to use the various methods that were being given to improve the AYP situation.
On many instances, the teachers felt that it was the Principal who wanted these changes. Many of them had years of experience teaching the curriculum but now these new methods were being introduced radically so that the school could achieve their goals and learners could learn. Many of the new strategies were coming from Instructional Designers who the School District was hiring to make these changes.
Because the Principal was new, even though she had years of experience doing on the job teaching, she too was taken by surprise by these new methods of teaching which were being forced on her and also the teachers. She was betwixt and between the two forces. Teachers thought she should have been the one to intervene on their behalf and the School District and the Region wanted her to play a better part to help teachers use these invention strategies. These strategies were being changed at a rapid pace and even the Principal who had other jobs to do could hardly keep up with them. It is my belief that she did try to alleviate the scope creep, that is the tendency of those above to try to improve a situation even as the situation is in progress. (Portny, S., Mantel S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S. Sutton, M. & Kramer, B. 2007), but these directives were coming from above so had to be adhered to. In addition, the principal was new and had her own challenges to overcome.
Because of my position, I was not in the real heat of things, but I did try to do my part so that the Principal did not have my job to worry about also.
The good thing about this is that it ended up well for the school. The school did achieve the AYP the following year. They would not have to continue using the various intervention methods, but would be able to use the normal curriculum in the District.
What I have learned is that even though there might be scope creep, changes in scope might not always be a bad thing, it can be beneficial and should be handled in a business-like manner go to http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
References
http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., & Sutton, M. (2009). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects. John Wiley and Sons. USA.
Working in a school that did not make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), has shown me how the scope of the teachers’ job could increase rapidly. This particular school had made the APY at the end of that first year I was working there. However, in order for the school to be taken off the list of not meeting the standards academically, the school had to achieve the AYP two years in a row. During this time, teachers underwent intense pressure to meet the various intervention strategies that were being implemented by both the Regional Office and the School District. Teachers were forced to deviate from the ongoing curriculum so as to use the various methods that were being given to improve the AYP situation.
On many instances, the teachers felt that it was the Principal who wanted these changes. Many of them had years of experience teaching the curriculum but now these new methods were being introduced radically so that the school could achieve their goals and learners could learn. Many of the new strategies were coming from Instructional Designers who the School District was hiring to make these changes.
Because the Principal was new, even though she had years of experience doing on the job teaching, she too was taken by surprise by these new methods of teaching which were being forced on her and also the teachers. She was betwixt and between the two forces. Teachers thought she should have been the one to intervene on their behalf and the School District and the Region wanted her to play a better part to help teachers use these invention strategies. These strategies were being changed at a rapid pace and even the Principal who had other jobs to do could hardly keep up with them. It is my belief that she did try to alleviate the scope creep, that is the tendency of those above to try to improve a situation even as the situation is in progress. (Portny, S., Mantel S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S. Sutton, M. & Kramer, B. 2007), but these directives were coming from above so had to be adhered to. In addition, the principal was new and had her own challenges to overcome.
Because of my position, I was not in the real heat of things, but I did try to do my part so that the Principal did not have my job to worry about also.
The good thing about this is that it ended up well for the school. The school did achieve the AYP the following year. They would not have to continue using the various intervention methods, but would be able to use the normal curriculum in the District.
What I have learned is that even though there might be scope creep, changes in scope might not always be a bad thing, it can be beneficial and should be handled in a business-like manner go to http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
References
http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636.
Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., & Sutton, M. (2009). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects. John Wiley and Sons. USA.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Blog Assignment: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources
The following are the websites I have found in my search with a brief explanation of each and the most helpful thing found in each site and how it might be used by me.
1. http://www.projectpro.co.za/eZine/Estimating_Effort/estimating_effort.html
2. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/estimate-activity-duration-HA001139963.aspx
3. http://www.hyperthot.com/pm_cost.htm
1. This website shows how to estimate effort on Project Activities. This brings into consideration the length of the activity and the amount of people required. This estimation would be performed even before estimating the duration and cost of the activities. A Rough order of Magnitude (ROM) can be used using a -50% to +150% or an Order of Magnitude (OOM) a -25% to +75% but a more accurate estimate like within 5% or 15% would entail looking at the lower level of detail on the Work Breakdown Structure. This could be used to determine the accuracy of your estimates. Also using the exact resource would help and depending on who the person is, estimate the effort accordingly. Then there are things that could be added on like specialist resource hours, project management time and contingency hours. Rework needs to be considered and adding into the first estimate made and putting in separate activities like making a estimate of completing the deliverable the first time, then adding a second set of events or activities and making corrections and doing recycling many times. Review and adjustments are necessary, also making documents for all assumptions.
The most helpful thing I found about this site is that I must do this estimation before doing the duration and cost estimation. There is also a percentage that could be used for the ROM and OOM and even how I can find a more accurate estimate. These are some of the things I might use to do my project and also it would help me to know what to do in any job situation.
2. This website deals with Estimating the activity duration. In this website the author suggests that in order to improve accuracy, the task should be divided into three distinct steps. These three steps are using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), estimating the duration of work packages and calculating the project schedule. The Work Breakdown Structure shows how a project is being delivered and breaks down its deliverables into meaningful parts. A person can create the estimation of duration of work packages by dividing the time required to do the work by the amount of people. After doing this, some padding is necessary like taking into account loss of time, persons who work part-time, interference for physical constraints and communication. The project schedule helps a person to calculate the overall project duration. This can be done by using the CPM which is the Critical Path Method, PERT, the Performance Evaluation
The following are the websites I have found in my search with a brief explanation of each and the most helpful thing found in each site and how it might be used by me.
1. http://www.projectpro.co.za/eZine/Estimating_Effort/estimating_effort.html
2. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/estimate-activity-duration-HA001139963.aspx
3. http://www.hyperthot.com/pm_cost.htm
1. This website shows how to estimate effort on Project Activities. This brings into consideration the length of the activity and the amount of people required. This estimation would be performed even before estimating the duration and cost of the activities. A Rough order of Magnitude (ROM) can be used using a -50% to +150% or an Order of Magnitude (OOM) a -25% to +75% but a more accurate estimate like within 5% or 15% would entail looking at the lower level of detail on the Work Breakdown Structure. This could be used to determine the accuracy of your estimates. Also using the exact resource would help and depending on who the person is, estimate the effort accordingly. Then there are things that could be added on like specialist resource hours, project management time and contingency hours. Rework needs to be considered and adding into the first estimate made and putting in separate activities like making a estimate of completing the deliverable the first time, then adding a second set of events or activities and making corrections and doing recycling many times. Review and adjustments are necessary, also making documents for all assumptions.
The most helpful thing I found about this site is that I must do this estimation before doing the duration and cost estimation. There is also a percentage that could be used for the ROM and OOM and even how I can find a more accurate estimate. These are some of the things I might use to do my project and also it would help me to know what to do in any job situation.
2. This website deals with Estimating the activity duration. In this website the author suggests that in order to improve accuracy, the task should be divided into three distinct steps. These three steps are using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), estimating the duration of work packages and calculating the project schedule. The Work Breakdown Structure shows how a project is being delivered and breaks down its deliverables into meaningful parts. A person can create the estimation of duration of work packages by dividing the time required to do the work by the amount of people. After doing this, some padding is necessary like taking into account loss of time, persons who work part-time, interference for physical constraints and communication. The project schedule helps a person to calculate the overall project duration. This can be done by using the CPM which is the Critical Path Method, PERT, the Performance Evaluation
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