After the readings for the week and the lectures, I am left feeling a bit torn between PSI and AT. For the most part, I saw the main similarities between the two being that of completing an objective, then being tested before being allowed to proceed as well as allowing for self-paced study. I believe these stood out to me as they are elements that I tend to gravitate toward. On the other hand, the most noticeable difference to me was that of the AT method not having a means of allowing students to gain further instruction as PSI offers. In my years as a work from home agent, I have had several training courses laid out in the AT method. They were self-paced and also allowed for quizzes and for being tested on items deemed important for specific areas. However, when information was conflicting, confusing, or just difficult to understand, there was no additional resource that could be contacted to assistance.
INITIAL REACTIONS
My initial reactions to these two models was, "OK, Personalized System of Instruction" is ok, but Audio Tutorials are what I've become accustomed to. I generally don't need much more assistance in processing and understanding as is offered in PSI. AT on the other hand, for me, is too prone to human error without having access to clarification." I was especially intrigued about the use for PSI in the Morita case study. Just judging form the initial participation levels of the Japanese students to the 10 the completed the course, there were clearly some roadblocks. Aside from the issues mentioned--network problems and cultural differences--I also considered the attempt to give a Japanese student an online course that offered the feel of an American institution rather difficult. There are just some things that a computer system or program just cannot convey; the emotion and atmosphere that a student gets from a college or university in the traditional classroom or an online course taught on-location is hard pressed to be relayed online.
The benefits of overcoming the network issues would be, more participation from the Japanese students and possibly less of an "other" incentive to participate could result. With cultural differences, I believe it works hand-in-hand with giving the course an American university "feel". By simply reaching out to one another, students are afforded the opportunity to get to know the folks from the Far East. When there is back and forth dialogue, the atmosphere changes and the community grows. The same goes for Audio-Tutorial. Make it more personalized by giving access to an outside resouce for help and I think retention of information will be better and the course more well received.
FUTURE USE OF PSI & AT
Due to the demographic I hope to design for in the future, I believe either of the two methods would work for me. I would definitely attempt a hybrid of the two when doing so. Because many disabled veterans are in a situation where the only thing they have known is the military, I truly believe it best to offer some sort of proctored instruction to learning a new skill set coupled with the AT model--only much more interactive for those who learn best when lectured. The twist is the option to gain more insight from a proctor, if needed.
RESOURCES
Upon researching the tools that both my classmates and I have noted in the forum, there are a few I've tried and favored for the purposes I want to accomplish.
Since I am a designer and have built sites with both companies, I believe Webs.com and Weebly.com are awesome tools for to use for simulations and to help learners get a feel for designing with WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) software. Both are simple to use and free.
Using a tool such as Wink or Captivate for a base, I'd attempt some sort of collaboration between Jing for my screencasting segments, Fotobabble for making my images more interactive, and iSpring QuizMaker or ExamBuilder for test/quiz taking.
My thoughts.
Kim Cross
INITIAL REACTIONS
My initial reactions to these two models was, "OK, Personalized System of Instruction" is ok, but Audio Tutorials are what I've become accustomed to. I generally don't need much more assistance in processing and understanding as is offered in PSI. AT on the other hand, for me, is too prone to human error without having access to clarification." I was especially intrigued about the use for PSI in the Morita case study. Just judging form the initial participation levels of the Japanese students to the 10 the completed the course, there were clearly some roadblocks. Aside from the issues mentioned--network problems and cultural differences--I also considered the attempt to give a Japanese student an online course that offered the feel of an American institution rather difficult. There are just some things that a computer system or program just cannot convey; the emotion and atmosphere that a student gets from a college or university in the traditional classroom or an online course taught on-location is hard pressed to be relayed online.
The benefits of overcoming the network issues would be, more participation from the Japanese students and possibly less of an "other" incentive to participate could result. With cultural differences, I believe it works hand-in-hand with giving the course an American university "feel". By simply reaching out to one another, students are afforded the opportunity to get to know the folks from the Far East. When there is back and forth dialogue, the atmosphere changes and the community grows. The same goes for Audio-Tutorial. Make it more personalized by giving access to an outside resouce for help and I think retention of information will be better and the course more well received.
FUTURE USE OF PSI & AT
Due to the demographic I hope to design for in the future, I believe either of the two methods would work for me. I would definitely attempt a hybrid of the two when doing so. Because many disabled veterans are in a situation where the only thing they have known is the military, I truly believe it best to offer some sort of proctored instruction to learning a new skill set coupled with the AT model--only much more interactive for those who learn best when lectured. The twist is the option to gain more insight from a proctor, if needed.
RESOURCES
Upon researching the tools that both my classmates and I have noted in the forum, there are a few I've tried and favored for the purposes I want to accomplish.
Since I am a designer and have built sites with both companies, I believe Webs.com and Weebly.com are awesome tools for to use for simulations and to help learners get a feel for designing with WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) software. Both are simple to use and free.
Using a tool such as Wink or Captivate for a base, I'd attempt some sort of collaboration between Jing for my screencasting segments, Fotobabble for making my images more interactive, and iSpring QuizMaker or ExamBuilder for test/quiz taking.
My thoughts.
Kim Cross
