Week 1--What is Instructional Technology?

1.31.06
OK, this is my first ITEC class as well as my first Blog, so bear with me. Professor Foreman introduced herself, the class, and the ilearn site: built with Moodle, an open source software tool. It's great to see not only the syllabus and assignments per week, but also weekly references for more in-depth investigation into each topic covered.

We discussed the difficulty in finding an adequate text for studying instructional development. Dr. Foreman mentioned that a study revealed that of all professional journals, the writing in educational journals most impenetrable and least reader-friendly! The important element, Dr. Foreman noted, is that this seminar is a collaboration and that we will all learn from each other. From our brief introductions, we are from diverse backgrounds--I am sure that we will all contribute to a wonderful learning experience.

We played a little game. First, we entered a profile in ilearn, then we each stood up and introduced ourselves and stated why were there, taking this ITEC800 journey. Afterward, we were asked to name our fellow students. Some were quite good at this (Terence I recall, did well) I think I remembered 3 names. I could only remember story details, like places people worked, cities or countries of origin, but not the names. Dr. Foreman explained that story-telling is the earliest and most-effective form of teaching/learning, but it takes a strategy to memorize details, like the names of your 14 classmates, for instance.

Well, so ends Blog number one. Please give me feedback, note false statements or missing info. Thanks, Desmond Rutherford.