Section 7: New Directions for Instructional Design and Technology

Distributed learning is defined as "any educational or training experience that uses a variety of means, including technology, to enable learning". A few examples I have experienced are:

• Corporate distributed learning: My district utilizes a LMS called Eduphoria to track professional development and offer content for staff.
• Hybrid classes: Many universities offer hybrid courses to accommodatestudents needs. I took several courses where content was delivered online, but tests and required weekly face to face meetings were on campus.
• Virtual classes: The Texas Virtual School Network offers full high school courses available for credit to students.
• For-profit distributed learning: Companies such as Princeton Reviewand Kaplan offer test preparation applications that are sold for profit. Also, several companies sell OSHA Training online as a way to achieve safety certification.
• Free distributed learning: Several options for self learning are now available on the internet. Services such as Khan Academy, YouTube, and iTunesU offer free content and full courses.

• Skills-based training: Software developers and users alike create how to videos and tutorials for most major software packages. Such as the Adobe Creative Suite or Autodesk.

Reusability is defined as "the ability to use the same resource multiple times in multiple ways and multiple contexts". However providing such is an issue I struggle with quite often as acareer & technology educator. The courses I teach are engineering. However, I know well that only a small percentage of my students will pursue traditional engineering as a profession. In the effort to provide an answer to the inevitable question: "Why are we learning this?", I always try to prepare a response related to real world situations. Because I know only a handful will continue into engineering, I have to modify my answer, and the course, so it isn't always "you need to know this because you will use it here". I have learned, throughout experience, to learn what the students are interested in and help them understand how it is impacted by design and engineering.

I like using screencasts, as rich media, to create tutorials for my students on how to perform tasks in a specific software application. I use applications such as: Screenr and Jing. I also use an overhead camera to create recorded video presentations to illustrate certain hand drawing skills.

Nanotechnology, or the study of manipulating matter at the molecular level, could be used to develop intelligent tools that morph depending on the required task. Using nano scale power production, the tool could also provide the correct force. For instance, a worker could p

ick up the tool and as they work through the task, artificial intelligence system within the senses the required action and subsequently morphs from one toll to the next as the task requires.

When considering the two points illustrated in chapter 32, regarding the direction of instructional design, I relate more to "the broad and inclusive road". Because in comparing the two, this one seems to be more open minded to change, which I believe is necessary for innovation. I also feel that the stance on semiopen membership is crucial to allow multi disciplinary collaboration.