What setting or settings are you interested in working in when you receive your respective degree in Instructional Technology? Explain how you will fit in this particular setting. What questions (if any) do you have about working in this particular work setting?


After I receive my degree I would like to become a full time Technology Support Facilitator at my current school. The position that I am in now requires my to teach math full time and be an technology support provider part time. I would like to provide teachers with the proper training on different instructional tools. In my current position I only have four to five days every nine weeks to offer support.

I am already a teacher/technology support provider at my current school. Teachers already look to me for support in the following areas: Blackboard, Blue Diamond (online common assessment database), student responders, Smartboards, graphics tablets, etc.... As a Technology Support Provider I will be able to devote more time to training teachers how to use these tools.

Instructional Technologies

Over the years I have used many diferent technologies in my classroom such as: Blackboard, Pbwiki, Voicethread, and Goggle docs. These are some really powerful instructional tools, however, my favorite instructional media is screencasts (vodcasts). I wrote a recent blog entry on screencasts.

What is Screencasting:

A screencast is a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a computer screen, and in which audio narration describes the on-screen action.

Screencasting Tools:

If you're a Windows user then the free Windows Media Encoder is very easy to use. You can download Media Encoder by going to the following link: www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/encoder/

For more ambitious efforts that require editing and allow you to do much more than simply "capture your screen," you can use Camtasia Studio. You can learn more about this by going to their website: Camtasia Studio.

Free Screencasting Services:

There are several web tools that offer free screencasting services. One that I have found very user friendly is Utipu.

TechSmith, the company that makes Camtasia software, offers a free program at the Jing Project. I have not used this program, but I have been very pleased with TechSmith's Camtasia line of software.

How to Make a Screencast:

No matter which tool you use, here are some basic guidelines for effective screencasting.

1. Prepare the Stage

Have a plan and practice navigating through your presentation. Also, plan and prepare your narration as you navigate through the presentation. Making these preparations will limit the number of mistakes you experience during the actual recording.

2.Tell the Story in Scenes

When you've got a short story to tell, it may consist of only a single scene. You can do a lot in 90 seconds of narrated video. You might need a couple of takes, but you can probably create something that's directly usable without requiring post-production. As you attempt longer and more complex screencasts, though, you will likely have to do some editing. If you do have a video editor, which Camtasia Studio offers, editing becomes much easier.

3. Narrating the Action

Composing the audio narration and synchronizing can be difficult. If you have prior experience with voice recording that will help. But even so, you're likely to find that syncing your voice with the action onscreen is a real challenge. For short unedited scenes, you can do multiple takes until you get it right, or as close as possible.

4. Check Your Work

It's exciting to make a screencast, and you'll want to share it with the world right away. But first watch it carefully, from beginning to end, more than once. A variety of problems can creep in during the editing process. There's also a real danger of exposing confidential data.

So What does a screecast look like?

Karla Faulk, a 6th grade math teacher has created screencasts as a way to review new math concepts with her students. In this video Karla has use a graphics tablet.

Screencasting with Graphics Tablet

Another example of using technology to review concepts with your students is to create "Math Review Videos." It is really quite easy using the plug-and-play Flip camera. Simply record yourself working through a problem, upload the video to your computer, and post the video in teachertube or youtube. Give the video link to your students and they'll love seeing you on the internet. If you need help with this process do not hestitate to contact us. In this example Tad, a 6th grade math teacher, has created a math video on decimals and place value.

Learning Theories

How do people learn?

I believe that people learn best by doing and by interacting with each other. As I plan math and science lessons I try to always have independent practice as well as a group activity. I feel that students can often times learn best from one another.

What are the best ways to accommodate your students’ learning and understanding?

I have found the best way to accommodate my students’ learning is through frequent formative assessments. The formative assessments help me to determine what areas the students’ need to improve in. I then can focus more instruction in these areas. I also find that I must vary the instruction. Students get bored fast and to help keep their attention I vary the methods in which I present the instruction. Some of the methods that work best for my students are PowerPoint presentations, videos, student responders, and Blackboard lessons.

What learning theories do you feel most comfortable with?

I feel most comfortable with the constructivism learning theory and the social cognition theory. The main idea behind the constructivist approach to learning is that knowledge is based on the learners’ experiences. I agree that students make sense of the world by comparing and contrasting previous experiences with new ones. When I teach math I try to build upon the students’ prior knowledge and experiences. I also believe that students do not learn in a vacuum. Therefore, students need to interact with other students. I often times find that students are better teachers for their peers than I am.

Insructional Technology Position

After browsing through various instruction technology positions, I found one that interests me at Stanford University (the cost of living is to high- it will be hard to convince my wife to move). The position title is an Instructional Technology Specialist. The major responsibilities for this job involve the following:

Developing strategies to promote effective use of the University course management system and associated tools for the exchange of course content

Evaluating and implementing instructional technologies in classrooms.

The qualifications for this job require a degree in instructional technology or a related field and three to five years of related experience.

After reading about this job and the responsibilities of the job, I would strongly consider this type of job. In my current position, I facilitate workshops on how to use Blackboard and I enjoy training instructors on how to use instructional technologies. I also like coming up with innovative ways to use different technologies to meet educational needs. This last week I have been training teachers on how to use Examview (computer software that generates assessments) with Blackboard. I have enjoyed listening to teachers discuss how they plan to use the technology in their classroom. I think a job like this one is suited for me because I enjoy interacting with people. I don't think I would enjoy a job where my sole responsibility would be tied to a computer.
Job link: http://www.higheredjobs.com/search/details.cfm?JobCode=175337520

What is instructional technology?

When I hear the words instructional technology , I think of the Internet and web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, screencasts, google docs, voicethread, etc... Instructional technology is a way for students to collaborate, communicate, and share their own learning. I also think about instructional technologies that I use in my classroom such as student responders, Examview, Smartboards, and graphics tablets. I believe that almost any device can be considered instructional technology if it aids in the learning process. This is why I get upset when school systems ban iPods and cell phones. I feel that innovative teachers will learn how to use these devices as instructional technologies. I also believe that some devices that I use as instructional technologies in my classroom are not instructional technologies in another classroom. For example, I teach with a person who uses a Smartboard as a projector screen. I would not consider this an instructional technology because it does not aid in the learning process.