Amber D. Wolfe

Competency 8: Apply Technologies to the Solution

 

If anything, I wish this program would have had more opportunities for students to explore the various technologies and software programs that are available for instructional designers.  I was able to explore several new Web 2.0 tools and e-learning creation tools, but feel I would be more prepared for using these tools if there had been a course that focused solely on this topic.  However, on a positive note, I enjoyed using the tools that I was able to incorporate into my assignments, and I have since used nearly all of them in my current work and projects.

 

Plans and designs effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology

 

Artifact- EDCI 568 Video Tutorial Assignment- Fotobabble

 

Competency- For this assignment, I created a short video tutorial on the Web 2.0 tool Fotobabble.  The tutorial included a brief synopsis of the tool, a how-to section for use, benefits and drawbacks of using Fotobabble, and ways that the tools could be implemented into educational plans to support innovative and partnering pedagogies.  I found I liked the simplicity of Fotobabble, and I have used it several times since completing this project.  I would like to progress into using it as a group-learning tool with several participants being recorded for an assignment or activity.

 

Artifact- EDCI 568 Innovative Pedagogies Digital Job Aid- Challenge Based Learning (Group)

 

Competency- This job aid was completed as a group and I feel that our group did an excellent job of partnering our skills and experiences to create a well-produced product.  Our assigned pedagogy was Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and we were to use it in a context that was relevant to our group.  Because of our backgrounds, we used a sample context of agricultural education.  This is still very useful to me in my career, and I have found that (even without realizing it) I have been using CBL in some way during my entire teaching career because of the hands-on, relevant nature of agricultural education.

 

Applies technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies

 

Artifact- EDCI 569 Digital Prototype Assignment Arthritis PowerPoint to go with EDCI 569 Paper Prototype Artifacts from Week 7- Master Gardener Online Educational Program

 

Competency- This assignment added a digital portion to the paper prototype, truly bringing the project to life.  The end result was supposed to be a fully functioning e-learning product.  However, I had several barriers that were difficult to overcome in the CourseSites program, and while the product was functional, I do not feel that it would have been ready for full publication and access without several rounds of editing and testing.  As this was a course that I created for a group that I continually work with, this online educational course is still a work in progress that will hopefully become a working course in the near future.  I used the Krug method of user-testing for this project, which helped me to identify the areas that needed revision.

 

Demonstrates understanding of social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology; applies it in practice

 

Artifact- EDCI 564 Technology Integration Projects- Senior Hippology Lessons (with iSpring PowerPoint slides) and 7 Things You Should Know About eXtension visual graphic

 

Competency- Both of these projects were focused on audiences that have different cultural and educational needs (rural female 4-H youth and farm operators/employees).  The iSpring PowerPoint lesson plan was created from a need that I had with coaching competitive team members at a distance due to their college locations, and the eXtension visual graphic was a way to educate the rural public about a helpful resource available to them via the internet.  I use eXtension daily and find it to be one of the most resourceful sites available due to the accountability and research-based information.