I have always thought that the words evaluation and assessment were interchangeable.  This week, I was exposed to the difference between evaluation and assessment. The goal of an assessment is to identify needs for improvement in teaching strategies and student learning while also providing a roadmap for how improvements can be made.  Evaluation analyzes instruction […]

“Each time we develop instructional materials, we learn something new.” As educators we sometimes teach the same topic and/or grade level from year to year.  It’s easy to get into a rut and maintain the same materials and methods used to deliver specific content instruction.  Although I am no longer in the classroom, working with […]

As an Instructional Technology Specialist, I work with classroom teachers and students regularly.  Functional use of the available technology resources requires a lot of hands-on learning. Minimalist instruction allows the users to take a hands-on approach to learning (Farkas & Williams, 1990).  Minimalist instruction is a good choice for instructional delivery when the learners will […]

I’m currently enrolled in a graduate level Instructional Technology course.  Courses within the Instructional Technology Education department have provided me with several opportunities to improve my craft as an educator and Instructional Technology Specialist (Simpson, Jackson, & Aycock, 2005).  Recently, I was tasked with a Concept Learning Project.  The assignment requires that I identify a […]

A concept is a generalization of a group.  When I think of a concept, it’s hard not to think of sorting and classification.  While working as a teacher-researcher for a NSF funded grant, I conducted a study looking into prekindergarten students’ abilities to sort objects by various categories.  These four and five year olds had […]

Before the Fall of 2017 I hadn’t heard of the ADDIE Instructional Design Model.  ADDIE stands for Analysis (A), Design (D), Development (D), Implementation (I), and Evaluation (E).  I’ll admit, as an Instructional Technology Specialist, this fact should have been embarrassing, but as a life-long learner, I was okay with being enlightened.  Instructional Design Models […]

These days I don’t really get to teach as much as I facilitate learning with adult learners.  Providing professional development learning opportunities for practicing educators is actually one of the many reasons why I love my job as an Instructional Technology Specialist.  When considering the theories of learning, I would have to say that I […]

As a former PreK-5 teacher and current professional development provider, I believe it’s important to use a combination of instructional theory when planning my instruction and setting goals for the expected learning.  Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are all relevant instructional theories.  Learning can be external and internal.  Learning can also be the result of a […]