I welcome the opportunity to reflect at the mid-point journey through Dominican University’s EDU 777/LIS 734 Learning Theories and Instructional Designs. I was most looking forward to engaging in the process of the technology proposal. Since we are a small district, we don’t always have formal or elaborate structures in place for making large tech purchases. In an effort to solicit more input from faculty, we created the Technology Committee which meets monthly. But its been helpful thus far to experience a thoughtful process for technology adoption; brainstorming, conducting a needs assessment, and looking for current research regarding the proposal topic. I have encountered a number of people in my district who would love to see my hypothetical proposal, a cart of laptops for each K-4 building for coding purposes, come to fruition. I am still enthusiastic about my proposal! It has been a rich experience to take this course simultaneously with Coding for Educators.
It’s also been a good review to read through learning theories once again and consider them through the lens of technology integration. Being a knowledgeable instructional designer is at the core of successful technology integration. Some feel that in the future there will not be a technology specialist role, but rather instructional specialists will be adept at implementing technology where needed to enhance student growth and learning.
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