EDU 777 Reflection 1

 Reflection 1

The Process

Wow! What an experience the “Learning Specialist/Instructional Designer” proposal has been. As a class, we have been using the ADDIE model as we go through the process of the proposal. The ADDIE model stands for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Each week we have been producing one part of the ADDIE model. The process has been exciting, yet overwhelming. I am excited to see how this all turns out, but all of the steps to make the proposal successful have been overwhelming at times. I want this to have positive results in the end, which is something that I also look forward to as an educator. I am eager to see how these upcoming weeks play out!

The Challenges

There have been some struggles that I have come across in my proposal that I did not think that I would experience. First of all, during Step 2 of the process when I asked my co-workers to complete a survey for the need of a homework calendar, two of my co-workers stated that the students were pretty organized already. This makes me nervous for the actual implementation of the homework calendar. This can leads to a future challenge that I encounter. In order for my technology plan to work, everyone must be on board and be willing to use it. There is no point in having a homework calendar, where every content teacher posts the homework in a central document/location, if only one teacher decides to use it. That only results in students knowing what homework they have in one subject area instead of all of them. This would not make the homework calendar a success.

The Potential

Although the above challenges make the proposal more intimidating, I am still excited for its potential. I firmly believe that with the use of a digital homework calendar, students will be more successful academically. They can easily go to one location to see all of the homework they have for all of their classes. If a student is absent, they can access the homework calendar from home and see what they have missed in their classes and what they need to complete to stay on track and not fall behind. We all know that student that is absent for an extended period of time and then get overwhelmed with the workload they get when they come back to school. This would help reduce that feeling of being buried in assignments.

Positives and Negatives

The positive aspect of this journey has been the potential that this would make for our students. I want my students to be more successful with their assignments and their work completion. I want them to be able to complete more assignments and be able to complete items while they are absent. This could have an overall positive outcome on their academics and their grades. There really are no negatives other than the fact that other people may not be as invested in the homework calendar as I am and they may consider this to be “more work” to add to their to-do list.

My Perspective of Being a “Learning Specialist/Instructional Designer” by Utilizing Technology

My perspective is changing as I complete this course. I am realizing the importance of using technology in the classroom. It can enhance learning for all students because many programs adjust learning levels based on each individual students’ needs. All students can even access technology through their own physical ways. This could be through hearing and visual aids as well as certain keyboards and mice for motor disabilities. With the use of this homework calendar, there is so much more of an opportunity for all students have academic success and it would not be possible if it weren’t for technology. I wish I had a digital homework calendar when I was in school. I think having technology in school would have made my time in school an overall success. Ultimately, I am super excited for the outcome of this proposal even though it can be overwhelming at times. I am looking forward to the positive impact it will have on my students!

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Kurt, Dr. S. (2018, December 16). Addie Model: Instructional design. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/the-addie-model-instructional-design/