AI and Virtual Reality - Technologies of the Future

Virtual reality provides people with great experiences that can  take students to different environments and historical periods, fostering deeper engagement and understanding (Merchant et al., 2018). Imagine students exploring the Amazon rainforest or experiencing life iin France?  Personally, I committed to learning and incorporating VR into my teaching practice and instructional design. By staying updated with the latest VR advancements and attending professional development workshops, I want to develop the skills and knowledge to use VR in the classroom and online if possible. I believe that incorporating VR field trips into my curriculum will enable my students to virtually visit locations relevant to our studies, offering them unique and enriching educational experiences without the constraints of time and budget.

Also, AI-powered learning platforms offer personalized learning experiences by adapting to individual student needs and learning styles (Holmes et al., 2019). These platforms provide feedback, recommend resources, and adjust instruction based on student progress. i work for institutions that are looking at the positives of AI and how it can help students and further creative thinking. Recognizing the immense potential of AI in education, I'm dedicated to learning about and integrating AI-powered platforms into my practice and design. I have gotten a start to this, as I attend online PD's and have been reading information regarding the future of artificial intelligence. I aim to differentiate instruction and provide tailored support to meet the unique needs of each student.

Through my commitment to learning and integrating these emerging technologies, such as VR and AI, into my teaching practice, I strive to create an engaging and personalized learning environment that prepares my students for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Holmes, Wayne; Bialik, Maya; Fadel, Charles; (2019) Artificial intelligence in education. In: Data ethics : building trust : how digital technologies can serve humanity. (pp. 621-653). Globethics Publications

Merchant, Z., Goetz, E. T., Cifuentes, L., Keeney-Kennicutt, W., & Davis, T. J. (2018). Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students' learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 127, 29-40.

Reflection on Honesty, Integrity, and Strengths in Instructional Design

 

In my role as an instructional designer, I will always prioritize honesty and integrity. This means I am careful about the information I use, making sure it's accurate and properly cited. I also avoid plagiarism and misrepresenting data. I advocate for using research and scholarly articles to ensure information is accurate and up to date. By replying on reputable sources, I can confidently incorporate the latest findings and best practices into my instructional design work. I believe in being transparent throughout the design process, keeping stakeholder informed about project goals, challenges and limitations. 

One of my strengths is understanding and emphasizing with learners. As Smith & Regan (2005) has mentioned, effective instructional design requires knowing the target audience well. I actively seek feedback from learners and experts to create engaging and relevant learning experiences. By putting learners at the center and following ethical practices, I aim to make a positive contribution to the field of instructional design. 

Smith, P.L & Ragan, T.J. (2005) Instructional Design. (3rd ed.) . John Wiley & Sons.

Educational Blogging?? Yes!

Towards the end of December, I always end up creating new goals. When I first started dating my husband (we're coming up on 12 years ago!), he started involving me in creating a "Visual Board." This so-called "Visual Board" displays your ambitions and expectant achievements by using words, phrases, quotes, or images straight from magazine articles or websites. The goal of the board is to put it in your path (i.e closet, wall)  to remind you of your aspirations. It's helped me so far with specific achievements I've had in mind.

You're probably wondering why I'm writing this and why you're reading this. Well, here is another goal to add to my next visual board list; to create an Educational Blog. To me, creating this blog will educate others who don't want to read lengthy articles, will inform those not involved in education, and will also help me continue my research and interests in education.   Also, it may improve my expressive writing tone. I am used to formal writing because I teach some classes at a university and don't typically write for fun, unfortunately.

In this blog, I hope to accomplish specific educational trends and statistics all within both in higher education and or in elementary/secondary school settings. Maybe I'll also do some running articles as well since that topic also is something that interests me.  The goal, for now, though, is one article a week.  Well, that's all I have to share for now. Thanks for reading!

Challenges with Implementation of Audio and Video Resources in K-12 eLearning.

Using audio and visual media in the classroom has many advantages in PreK-12^th grade education. As we know it helps those leaners who have a variety of different learning styles, such as visual and auditory learning. However, at the same time, there are challenges to the implementation of audio and visual learning; misinterpretations or lack of understanding of the video meaning, a variety of paces of learning, and monitoring attention to certain students. 

More than likely we will be teaching to students of diverse backgrounds. When we choose a topic or objective we will be teaching, we want to assure that not only our delivery of the content we give but as well as the audio and visual of the content makes sense; that is, it is developmentally appropriate.  Often teachers find great podcasts or documentaries and the verbiage is difficult for these students or just not age appropriate. This then leaves students scratching their heads instead of feeling more confident on the subject/objective. Teachers really need to evaluate and decipher each piece of audio/visual content, is this age, developmentally or language appropriate for my students?

Another challenge is the pace of learning. So you have students that can catch on quickly or understand content quickly, but often students need to stop and discuss the content or podcasts that are being listened to or shown. Teachers again, find a great tool to help with students understanding of the content but are they really getting ALL of the messages that are being taught. By using the stop, discuss, and comprehend important facts help not only student’s comprehension, but it helps the teacher evaluate his/her students to see that they are getting the BIG picture.

Last, some students learning styles aren’t auditory or visual that it’s hard for them to understand be attentive to the content. Often, students who are not auditory don’t “hear” the podcast because it just doesn’t suit their learning style or vice versa with watching media online. It is important that as teachers we change up how we deliver the content to assure we are hitting all the different modes of learning and that it suits are leaners of diverse backgrounds.

Teachers should plan their lessons based on the different learning styles of their students as well as their diverse backgrounds. The audio and visual media we choose should be age appropriate as well as be meaningful for our students.

Media in the Classroom

Using podcasts in the classroom can be very beneficial for students learning.  With the vary styles of learning in the classroom, a teacher can use a podcast to assure they are meeting the needs of their learners.

As we know there are visual, audio, kinesthetic, and reading/writing learners. Podcasts really assist those who are more auditory. By listening to podcasts, those learners can listen and visual “see” by hearing what the speaker is saying cognitively. A lot of time, students are more visual because of the technology that’s out there, so they rarely listen to what’s being said. By implementing podcasts for those non-visual learners, we can stop and talk about what the speaker is saying by discussing the content mentioned. This helps those other leaners that may struggle with learning through listening.

Another advantage of using podcasts is that it allows students to work and listen at the same time. It may hard for some, but for those who find this way of learning beneficial, they can work on other assignments, take notes, tasks, homework or even draw while listening to the content. It changes up the learning in the classroom.

Implementing instructional technology and media can assist students with the content teachers want to teach. Say if you want to teach a topic of about the Fourth of July, you can show your students a video of what the signing of the Declaration of Independence may have looked like and then implement a podcast on what the document said. This would be a perfect way of using both media and differentiating learning styles for your students.

Last, instructional media is engaging and fun! Whether it’s videos or listening to an audiobook with sound effects or the reader reading aloud, it’s just a different way of learning other than learning through text. Technology and media is what students are used to (at home whether it’s phone, television or computer) and why not implement it in the classroom? It helps prepare them for the future whether it’s middle school, high school or even as adult learners.