Feedburner?

Here's a link to my feedburner page.
And a screenshot...

PART A: The Wicked Problem - A Need or an Opportunity

An educational need:

An important educational need in my setting is making sure that my colleagues understand how to use our technology resources effectively.  Most of the teachers in the learning center where I work are part time workers with other jobs and responsibilities.  Some are only in the office for 6-8 hours a week, and everyone works a different schedule.  For this reason, it has always been difficult for me, as the technology director, to find convenient times for training.  In the past, I have attempted to address this problem by writing out detailed instructions including images and distributing these instructions in print form.  I have always felt that this format is limiting; like our students, our teachers and administrators all have very different ways of learning, many of which are not best served by printed instructions.  Therefore, I have found that my current methods still often require me to do hands-on, individual training and troubleshooting.  I have been searching for a more convenient and effective method of delivering instructions to the entire office, so that all of our teachers can use the resources we have to enhance their teaching.

Addressing the need:

Through my Edutech coursework, I have learned a few things that will help solve this problem.  First of all, I propose using screencasts and other instructional videos instead of printed instructions to teach my colleagues how to use our technology effectively.  I think screencasts will address those of our staff who are finding learning technology difficult, especially those who have a more visual style of learning.  I will create a variety of short instructional videos using screencast technology.
The second prong of my plan will be to incorporate these videos into a staff-only section in our company website.  I think it’s important that these resources be available and easily accessible wherever and whenever staff has time to use them.  A staff-only section of our website will also be a good place for storing other training materials and resources for new tutors, such as the employee handbook and phone lists.  I will create a new page on our company website as a central location for staff instructions.
This plan will cost nothing but my time, and from a test video I put out recently, I believe it will be the most effective solution to the problem.

Logistics:

This solution will require the creation of a number of instructional videos using screencast technology.  I plan on using screencast-o-matic.com because it is easy and web-based, and I have some experience using it.  Where available and applicable, I will use existing videos and resources available online.
In the long term, I hope that what I am doing now will serve as a resource for teachers in our workplace for years to come. When posted on our website, the videos will be available for current teachers to review and new teachers to use as they settle in.

Research/resources:

I performed a little bit of research by searching the web using Google. I found articles which mentioned that video training is more engaging and cost effective than traditional training. Most of the search results, however, lead to great resources. I do not think I will have any trouble finding good examples of training videos to use as models. Perhaps I will even find some that I can use as-is.

The plan:

I plan on recording and distributing a number of videos starting immediately.  We just got new printers for six of our staff, and I recorded an instructional screencast and distributed the link through email.  Responses have been positive so far, and I have not had nearly as many problems that require my attention as usual.  I plan on making some instructional videos for new tutors to understand how our systems work. I would also like to make a few videos sharing what I have learned in my Edutech courses, and other tricks I have learned along the way in order to help my colleagues maximize their technology use in their teaching.
In the longer term, I would like to add a page to our company website where I can host all of these videos in a user friendly format so that what I do now will remain a resource for the future.

Gauging success:

My success will be apparent in my daily workload.  Hopefully, this plan will alleviate some of the interruptions to my teaching that I experience on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.  I will also set up a feedback system where teachers can contact me with suggestions and questions about the various instructions I provide.

Video Bio

The original, in a little better quality, is viewable here.  Thanks to Screencast-o-Matic for the free screencasting software.

A Funny Thing...

Here's a link to a little podcast recording I made for CEP 812 about encouraging responsible online behavior with students, and practicing what you preach.

A Funny Thing...

811 Final Reflection

 In this course I learned a great deal about using technology for teaching and learning.  I felt like my biggest area of growth was technical knowledge.  I was really happy to learn some basics about FTP and a little bit about HTML.  These were both concepts that were pretty foggy to me before having to complete the assignments for this class.  Now, I feel like I can handle things like this, I'm not as scared of them as I may have been before, and I might even take over the maintenance of our company website (if I feel like I can find the time).  I want to keep learning more about these technical aspects, because I feel more in touch and in charge with the little bit I know now.

Another technical aspect I found very helpful was using presentation software in an interactive format.  I had no idea of all the capabilities of PowerPoint, and I was pleased to see all that it could offer.  I was also happy to be able to put together something that worked reasonably well and did the job it set out to do.  Again, this is a skill I would like to develop in the future, and use in my instruction.

On the pedagogical/instructional side, I was pleased that we were introduced to Understanding by Design in one of the early sessions.  I actually borrowed a copy from my local library and did a little more reading on my own.  Having this methodical, long-range outlook when planning instruction makes perfect sense to me, and it was nice to see it laid out with clear examples and anecdotes.  I think about this all the time now as I plan my lessons, making sure my students (and I) have a good grasp on the point of everything we do in class.  These are principles I will definitely continue to use and develop in my instruction.

All of the activities we were required to complete made me think a great deal about useful technology implementation: doing things that make sense and are useful rather than just because they are "cool" or flashy.  Many of the skills I've gained through this and the previous course allow me to do things that are interesting and engaging on some level, but I always try to keep in mind the need for activities and lessons to be useful for my students' learning and for my instruction.  I think all of these experiences have given me the ability to make better judgments about what I'm going to put my time into, and what I expect my students to put their time into.  Overall, I think developing this ability to evaluate learning tools and experiences is probably the most important thing I gained from this class.  I plan to continue developing my evaluative skills as I complete the certificate program this semester, and the master's program in the following years.