History of Instructional Design and Technology Timeline

Here is a link to the IDT History Timeline Prezi I have created!

Check it out:

http://prezi.com/t8l-yycg8nij/history-of-idt/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Enjoy!

M.B.As in Social Media

Social media is becoming so prevalent that you can obtain a masters in the it!!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2013/09/09/college-students-social-media-for-careers/2786323/

Social media is entering our schools as it is being utilized in so many ways, including advertising for your business, your organization, and yourself.  The basic component that is immediately taught in these social media classes is the powerful effect facebook photos, twitter comments, and myspace pages can have on your hireability.  Even connections from social media outlets lead to friendships and jobs.

"Even outside of Tuscaloosa, I'll meet someone on the road, and they'll tell me they've seen me on Twitter," Torrence said. "People are out there seeing my name that could potentially hire me down the road."

Start to use social media wisely!  Feel free to go get a masters in it!

Social Media

As my topic for IT 8000, I have been assigned to cover social media.  So for me, the first question that I feel I must address is:  How does one define social media?  The term is frequently used to describe facebook, social networking, and more, but what is it?

About.com seems to break it down very well:

What is Social Media?

The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication.

In Web 2.0 terms, this would be a website that doesn't just give you information, but interacts with you while giving you that information. This interaction can be as simple as asking for your comments or letting you vote on an article, or it can be as complex as Flixsterrecommending movies to you based on the ratings of other people with similar interests.

Think of regular media as a one-way street where you can read a newspaper or listen to a report on television, but you have very limited ability to give your thoughts on the matter.

Social media, on the other hand, is a two-way street that gives you the ability to communicate too.

Now that we have answered the question of what is social media, we can move on to social media websites. Because social media is such a broad term, it covers a large range of websites. But the one common link between these websites is that you are able to interact with the website and interact with other visitors.

Here are some examples of social media websites:

•    Social Bookmarking. (Del.icio.us, Blinklist, Simpy) Interact by tagging websites and searching through websites bookmarked by other people.

•    Social News. (Digg, Propeller, Reddit) Interact by voting for articles and commenting on them.

•    Social Networking. (Facebook, Hi5, Last.FM) Interact by adding friends, commenting on profiles, joining groups and having discussions.

•    Social Photo and Video Sharing. (YouTube, Flickr) Interact by sharing photos or videos and commenting on user submissions.

•    Wikis. (Wikipedia, Wikia) Interact by adding articles and editing existing articles.

And these websites are not the only social media websites. Any website that invites you to interact with the site and with other visitors falls into the definition of social media.

Instructional Design and Technology

Instructional Design and Technology has come a long way since its origins, which can be traced back to the early 1900s.  During the first years of it's creation, it was solely referred to by the media that was implemented and utilized for instruction.  As technology and the learning process evolved, so did the definitions of IDT.  Today, Robert Reiser and John Dempsey define instructional design and technology in their book, Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology:
                 
                    "The field of instructional design and technology (also known as instructional technology) encompasses the analysis of learning and performance problems, and the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and management of instructional and non-instructional processes and resources intended to improve learning and performance in a variety of settings, particularly educational institutions and the workplace.
                    Professionals in the field instructional design and technology often use systematic instructional design procedures and employ instructional media to accomplish their goals.  Moreover, in recent years, they have paid increasing attention to non-instructional solutions to some performance problems.  Research and theory related to each of the aforementioned areas is also an important part of the field." (pg. 5)

Personally, I define instructional design and technology as the design and implementation of unique learning experiences through technology and systems.  Currently, I teach Broadcast and Video Production at a high school in Fulton county.  This definition is very pertinent to me as I attempt to create individual learning experiences/opportunities by using the technology and systems available.  I attempt to tailor the information presented to each student, especially in my advanced levels, based on his/her individual needs.  Some students spend their class time working on basic editing, while others focus on advanced editing.  Others will work with special effects, music, lighting, camera operation, graphics, etc.  Subsequently, my personal goal of this definition and this course is to improve my ability to design learning opportunities for all students, utilizing the means I have available.