Section 4: Human Performance Technology

Performance Problem and Solution: There are three Elementary Directors in my school district and each of them has 2 Support Specialist that work for them along with a secretary. I am a Support Specialist for one of the directors. The Elementary Directors operate under one budget in which they purchase supplies for the Support Specialist. The Support Specialist would send in request for supplies, throughout the year, to the secretary to be approved by their Elementary Director without consulting with the rest of the group. Each director was receiving an absurd amount of supply request each year. Redundant supplies orders were being submitted which caused a surplus of supplies and a waste of money. To alleviate the problem, the Directors put only one individual from the Support Specialist group in charge of managing the supplies. That person was me. The directors created an excel spreadsheet that included the item, item number, quantity and approved vendor to give to me   based on what the group requested frequently. To the list they also added standard office and school supplies. They also reserved a white board within my office were other specialist could write down items to add to the list. They gave me the responsibility of inventorying supplies, organizing the supplies, and filling out and submitting the spreadsheet at the beginning of each semester to the secretary. Now the directors only had to approve one supply list per semester, supplies were not being over ordered, and the management of fund was more efficient.

EPSS: The definition of Electronic Performance Support Systems I prefer is: A system that provides electronic task guidance and support to the user at the moment of need.

I like the way this definition reads because it is straight to the point but really broad. Electronic guidance and support can be a number of things, including application help, reference information, guided instructions and/or tutorials, subject matter expert advice and hints on how to perform a task more efficiently. I also like the way it states “the moment of need” which help me understand that EPSS is readily available for any employee to use. EPSS has not been widely used because of the cost associated with establishing the system as well as having implications of weakening the performer because they rely on the system instead of growing their expertise. As cost decreases and EPSS technology evolve, I see more system being implemented in the future.

Blended Learning:

Our district has had past problem with 5^th grade science on state assessment. In the 2003-2004 school year, our 5^th grade overall passing rate was 56% for the entire district. Over the next couple of years with the support of blended learning we were able to turn our district around and have a 92% passing rate in science for the 2010-2011 school year. Teachers’ utilized investigation based learning from the program FOSS to guide their direct instruction while also utilizing EduSmart computer based software programs to supplement and support student learning. Edusmart Science is a Flash-based, "teacher guided" instructional tool that is designed to enhance instruction and maximize learning through the use of proven research-based strategies. It builds students' concept knowledge using multiple "real world" examples and models, vivid graphics, concise narrated text and strategically placed interactive opportunities to practice acquired knowledge. Edusmart Science also enhances effective questioning, the activation of prior knowledge and ongoing assessment through built-in "pauses", allowing student learning to drive the pace of instruction. Student utilized the programs at least 3 times a week during school hours as well as in tutorials, Saturday school, and extended day programs. This blended learning had a profound impact on student performance within out district because it increases student engagement, provided more rigor to instructional practices and stimulated the learning of new concepts.

Informal Learning: Informal learning has played a huge part in my adult life and I have been exposed to several types. Lately, my informal learning has had a lot to do with the online classes I am taking. Learning how to create blogs, wiki, and ePortfolio through videos provided by my professors and conducting searches through Google or Wikipedia have provided lots of insight on educational technology. This type of learning is very engaging to me because I actually get to apply what I am learning to my real life. Having a 7 month old daughter, I have utilized her pediatrician’s website lots of times for remedies to whatever she is experiencing at the moment. At my job I am constantly in conversation with my colleagues about how to prepare some data spreadsheet or assist a teacher with a certain classroom management issue. We are always learning from each because everyone in the office has different expertise instructionally and different insight on curriculum and best practices. In these different situations, my role is interacting and learning while sharing and forming my own ideas and thoughts. My instructor act as facilitate in the learning process by providing guidance and support when needed. 

Week 3

Models used for Evaluation-

Utilization Focused Evaluation is described as a decision making framework that enhances the utility and actual use of evaluations. U-FE insists that evaluators should facilitate the evaluation process and design any evaluation with careful consideration of how everything that is done, from beginning to end, will affect use. Use concerns how real people in the real world apply evaluation findings and experiences the evaluation process. Therefore, the focus in utilization-focused evaluation is on intended use by intended users.

Participatory evaluation provides for active involvement in the evaluation process of those with a stake in the program: providers, partners, customers (beneficiaries), and any other interested parties. Participation typically takes place throughout all phases of the evaluation: planning and design; gathering and analyzing the data; identifying the evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations; disseminating results; and preparing an action plan to improve program performance.

Every year my students participate in a Stormwater Comic Strip contest for our local water department. Stormwater Management invites all third through fifth grade students in our school district to participate. Stormwater Management’s mission is to maintain natural and man-made drainage ways in free-flowing condition, to reduce the risk of localized storm water flooding, to reduce stormwater pollution as required by Federal law, to manage floodplain development, and to manage the municipal drainage utility system. The chairperson for the contest is always looking for feedback on ways to improve the contest as well as information on how effective the contest is in raising awareness with our students. Using the Participatory Evaluation, I would work with the chairman to design an evaluation that would allow her to take part in the all phases and help both of us extend our knowledge about the effectiveness of the program. Working so closely together on all phases of the evaluation process would greatly increase her interest in finding out the truth about the program. Using the Utilization Focused Evaluation, I would carefully evaluate the contest using different tools while always thinking about how each part will affect the way she uses the findings. For example, I would survey students who participated in the contest over the past 3 years and get feedback on how the contest affected their feeling toward storm water and if they put any of the knowledge they learned into affect. Hopefully, she would be able to use the findings from this tool to help students develop a lasting impression about storm water safety.

Technological Innovation- JING

JING is a program that allows you to capture images and video of your computer screen that you can share instantly.

Relative Advantage:

• ·         SWF video
• ·         5-minutes of screen recording
• ·         Mark-up tools for images
• ·         Screencast.com Free Account
• ·         Take Screenshots: Capture an image of what you see on your computer screen
• ·         Record Screencasts: Record what you see and do on your monitor
• ·         Collaborate: Jing’s older siblings – Snagit and Camtasia - are great for editing and enhanced sharing

Compatibility:

• ·         Compatible with Windows and Mac OS X

Complexity:

• ·         Very user friendly

Trialability:

• ·         There is a free version for any individual wanting to utilize the product.  The only thing you have to do is register for an account.

Observability:

•   TechSmith provides more than 50 countries with screen capture and recording software for individual and professional use. TechSmith has seven products that do anything from taking screen captures, to screen recording and managing consumer content. People everywhere use their products to grab images and record content straight off their computer screens to create dynamic presentations and screencasts. With their products, people communicate more effectively and create interest with engaging visuals and sharp videos that grab attention and keep it. They also develop and update their innovative software every day and plan to continue expanding their existing products to support the Mac platform.

Compatibility and complexity assisted in the adoption of this innovation. Being compatible with Windows and Mac made the product available for use to everyone. Also, because JING is so easy to use, many people will be able to utilize it without needing much outside support or training. 

Situational Leadership: To start this project, I would like to utilize the resources available to me, which would be the teachers within the district that are experts in the utilizing technology in the classroom, to present the professional development session to other teachers. To make sure I am being equitable about choosing the right individuals to present, I would ask the administrators to select two individuals from their campus they felt would be great at presenting and also possessed expertise in utilizing technology in the classroom. Next, I need to identify the maturity level and leadership style for the group:

Maturity Levels

• M1 – People at this level of maturity are at the bottom level of the scale. They lack the knowledge, skills, or confidence to work on their own, and they often need to be pushed to take the task on.
• M2 – at this level, followers might be willing to work on the task, but they still don't have the skills to do it successfully.
• M3 – Here, followers are ready and willing to help with the task. They have more skills than the M2 group, but they're still not confident in their abilities.
• M4 – These followers are able to work on their own. They have high confidence and strong skills, and they're committed to the task.

Leadership Styles

• Telling (S1) – Leaders tell their people exactly what to do, and how to do it.
• Selling (S2) – Leaders still provide information and direction, but there's more communication with followers. Leaders "sell" their message to get the team on board.
• Participating (S3) – Leaders focus more on the relationship and less on direction. The leader works with the team, and shares decision-making responsibilities.
• Delegating (S4) – Leaders pass most of the responsibility onto the follower or group. The leaders still monitor progress, but they're less involved in decisions.

I am hoping for a group with a M4 maturity level. Then, I need to decide on my leadership style for this group. With my group being a M4, I need to use the S4 leadership style. With the group being experts in utilizing technology in the classroom, I would allow them to decide the direction the professional development should be directed. The planning, information, implementation, and evaluation would be up to the group. I will acts as a facilitator and monitor the direction of the planning. Hopefully, with the high confidence, strong skills, and commitment to the task, the group will form a cohesive professional development that is effective and motivating to teachers.

Benefits of engaging in Design Research

One of the major benefits of design research is that it allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction in promoting student learning. Along with the ability to use a myriad of strategies to improve performance, it also allows you to use assessment and making adjustment based on the desired performance outcome for your students. 

Learner Motivation

Whole-Task Approach, Scaffolding, Mathemagenic Method

In starting with the whole-task approach, students would perform a scientific investigation (using scientific method) using rocks, soil, and water that relate to the overall goal of finding ways these resources are useful. Within the experiment the students will be generating a hypothesis, listing materials, writing procedures for conducting the experiment, conducting trials, graphing results, and writing a conclusion. Although these are separate task, putting them together helps the students meet their overall goal. To incorporate more scaffolding, I would model for my students erosion of a canyon using stream tables, soil (which includes gravel, clay, silt, and sand), and water. Throughout my model, I would provide explanation for how erosion affects landforms and ask the students to participate by adding different features to the stream table model. Mathemagenic is a little more difficult for me because it seems a little broad. It seems like students are making connections in their own learning by different means. I would give students the task of coming up with ways (whether through songs, raps, dances, movement etc.) of describing the water cycle.  

Gagne vs First Principles

Applying First Principles to Learning Goal:

By posing the question “What kind of relationship do rocks, soil, and water have in producing sustainable plant life,” allowing students to investigate rocks, water, and soil and assigning students  the task of building a garden I will be able to apply the “First Principles” to my students learning. In the building of the garden, I could model for students how to properly take care of the soil so that the plants would grow. I could also bring in horticulturalist and have them demonstrate the proper way to plant a garden. Also, students would have access to the internet in order to research proper gardening techniques as well as find information about plants, water, soil, rocks, and the sun. Students will be working in cooperative groups to build their garden and collaborate with experts to share ideas, concerns, and successes. Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the importance of water, soil, and rock by presenting to the city council, landscaping ideas to improve their local community. Included in the project must be visuals, cost, how sustain the development long term, safety plans for the environment and explanation of how this will improve the city. 

Learning Goal

Learning Goal: give examples of ways rocks, soil, and water are useful

In applying the Constructivism Theory, I would approach the above goal by posing the question “What kind of relationship do rocks, soil, and water have in producing sustainable plant life.” Because guidance by the teacher should be very minimal, I would only supply my students with the tools needed to construct different student-centered scientific investigations. Students will use these resources to derive their own understanding as they move through the scientific process. Also, students will work in cooperative groups, embracing multiple perspectives, setting their own goals, and reflecting on what they have learned. From that experience, I would utilize the Schema Theory and give my students the task of building a garden capable of sustaining different plant life. With the knowledge they previously learned from the for-mentioned activity and any other prior knowledge of gardens, students will be responsible for designing, planning, and implementing any task associated with the garden.