Like many students in Learning Technology Masters programs, I have been teaching for a while, perhaps too long. I have seen firsthand the disasters that accompany teaching in pandemic America. From overly packed classrooms to aging buildings to mountains made of expectations.
I have spent my teaching career so far in a charter school. This charter school system created an all-in-one learning management system about ten years ago and has done very little to update or improve it since. I have been expected to incorporate, or even primarily rely on, what is, in my estimation, a terrible system to learn with.
I teach history, and the history curriculum is abysmal. There is likely a graduate of this school from years prior who believes many fallacies and nonfacts about history. Not to mention, the people who wrote the curriculum clearly have a specific political leaning.
The system also relies primarily on students reading and answering questions with little other meaningful learning experiences. Students have learned to Control + F their way through the lessons without actually reading. They trade passwords and copy work. There is literally (I do mean literally) a Quizlet containing all the answers to every lesson, quiz, and test for every class the system delivers, and that’s almost every class!
I knew I wanted to leave the classroom but I didn’t want to leave without a plan. Seeing the state of the online curriculum I had to work with inspired me to learn more about how we can use technology in smart ways to teach people. I also knew I loved the University of North Texas, so the school + degree program were decided on easily.
Because I wanted to build out my class schedule for the 6 semesters I’d be enrolled in, I chose the Instructional Systems Design track, thinking I could change it if I learned more and changed my mind. In one of my first classes, Introduction to Learning Technologies, I learned a lot about how online learning is designed and utilized. I also met many fellow students who were making money by helping schools find effect technology. I knew there was hope.
So far, I am still excited about the Instructional Systems Design. I enjoy looking at projects from many angles, so many approaches to instructional design, such as the ADDIE method, seem like exciting challenges. I am looking forward to growing my knowledge and skills in Instructional Design. This blog is dedicated to that journey.
Jessica White's Learning Technology Blog & Portfolio 