Instructional Design

What is Instructional Design? What is "best practice" for designing instruction using the internet? What are various models or steps used to design educational software or web-based instruction? How can I create motivating and educational instruction?

As you explore the following resources on instructional design, create a visual cognitive organizer that contains information that you learn and that you feel will be important to you as you design your project for this class. Create your organizer using Inspiration software, a web page, word processor, PowerPoint, etc. You will share your information with everyone in class next Monday.

1.

"The Learning Revolution has begun!!

It's learning for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime!"

Interactive Learning Online http://www.indiawebdevelopers.com/articles/interactive_learning.asp

Read the Interactive Learning Online information; then, click on the animated icon that says "Click me." Click here for an online interactive demo on the process of developing an interactive tutorial.

Take notes as your go through the tutorial.
Create a cognitive organizer of your learning.
You will want to be able to describe each step of the design and development process.

2. Add to what you just learned by reading from the following site, "Instructional Design Framework." Be sure to read the Instructional Strategies.

http://www.stylusinc.com/WebEnable/elearning_solutions/instructional_design_process.php

Explain and describe the Instructional Strategies in your cognitive organizer.
How might you use these ideas in your class project?

Go to this page to view their animation of the Development Process- you can also retrieve more specific information about each piece of the process.

http://www.stylusinc.com/Common/AboutUs/ApplicationDevelopmentProcess.php

3. "Instead of becoming distracted by the seemingly infinite array of delivery options and technological advances, the focus must return to the basics, which can be applied regardless of delivery mode, learning environment, or learner attributes."

"Being Everything to Everyone: The Difficult Life of an Instructional Designer" http://www.xplanazine.com/archives/2005/06/being_everythin.php

What are the basics explained here?
What ideas do you have for using several of these basics as you design your web instruction?

4. "Educational software design: A literature review" http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet11/pellone.html
Pellone, G. (1995). Educational software design: A literature review. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 11(1), 68-84. http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet11/pellone.html

"These processes include motivation, selective perception, encoding, memory and retrieval. Perhaps, the most important element for the design of educational software is "memory" which is increased if the student's attention is captured, new information is connected thematically to information learned previously; and the information flow is kept high to avoid boredom (MacLachlan, cited in Criswell, 1989, pp. 36-37)."
Once the learner has been introduced to new information it is the teacher's responsibility to act as a guide through the concept or the process being taught.
With repetitive practice the student will eventually perform quickly and effortlessly.
... is important in order to gauge how effectively the instructional message was received.

There is a great deal of excellent information in this article. Please take time to read it thoroughly and to glean useful bits of information to share with everyone in this class.

What are the "planned learning experiences" according to Venezky and Osin? Check "Classroom instruction and educational software" section.
Explain how the information about designing can be used when designing educational websites: menus, color, graphics, animation, instructional enhancers, etc.