Product Description
Simply put, this book is about people, and how they learn, work, and interact in today's rapidly changing, technologically supercharged society. Of course, we all know that people have been learning to get along with computers, the Internet, and other technologies for many decades; and for the most part, we adapt to necessary changes in the way we do things because we realize that technology has many positive qualities. That realization might not always happen right away, but it does catch up eventually - usually just in time for something newer to come along and take its place.
Hence, there is a constant issue looming over every student, teacher, worker, manager, and administrator. How do we ensure that technology and learning opportunities are accessible to everyone? How do we ensure that the people in our organizations enjoy all of the benefits of technology without misusing or abusing it? What happens when we encounter a student or an employee who faces difficulty with new technology implementations because he or she has a disability, or because he or she simply finds adaptation more difficult?
These are questions that millions of instructional designers, computer lab managers, technology coordinators, teachers, and trainers face every day. Sometimes answers are in easy reach; but sometimes those answers are not nearly so easy to find or implement. As many who have spent time in support, teaching, training, or other jobs where interaction with people and technology is a daily affair can tell you, the sticking point behind many a situation does not just lie with one single culprit, nor are solutions always permanent or universally applicable. Age, background, gender, education, and personal limitations all can have an impact on how a person reacts to or interacts with technology in the classroom or the workplace, but there is rarely any single "best" or "correct" way to address each unique need. Thus, this book is not meant to be prescriptive, but instead is meant to provide you with the foundational knowledge and insights necessary to help you create and adapt solutions that better meet the needs of the diverse learners you may encounter, regardless of industry or specific instructional design process.
One reader’s testimonial:
"Putting People First: Human Issues in Instructional Technology is one of the best resources I’ve read for teachers interested in integrating technology into the learning environment... Trekles uses an instructional technology design model to analyze on-line learners and design learning spaces that meet the needs of all students. She identifies best practices in online instructional facilitation and describes ways to develop media and learning materials. Her overview of copyright law, security, and ethics within the context of distance learning is informative and insightful.?Putting People First: Human Issues in Instructional Technology is well organized and user-friendly. Its forward-thinking format has links embedded throughout the text. The reader can simply click on the link and go to the source referenced in the book.
Each chapter includes easy-to-use charts that summarize the key points and identify standards addressed in the chapter. At the end of every chapter, there is also a recommended activity that gives the reader an opportunity to apply skills addressed in the lesson. Finally, there are higher-level thinking questions related to each topic.
If you are a teacher interested trying to find meaningful ways to incorporate technology into your curriculum, an administrator thinking about the needs of the people in your institution, or a technology coordinator training people to use technology, this is a must-have ebook for your library. And at $19.99, it is definitely a worthwhile investment." -Silvana Morgan, Fifth Grade Teacher, ?Clark Middle School, Saint John, Indiana, USA
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Hence, there is a constant issue looming over every student, teacher, worker, manager, and administrator. How do we ensure that technology and learning opportunities are accessible to everyone? How do we ensure that the people in our organizations enjoy all of the benefits of technology without misusing or abusing it? What happens when we encounter a student or an employee who faces difficulty with new technology implementations because he or she has a disability, or because he or she simply finds adaptation more difficult?
These are questions that millions of instructional designers, computer lab managers, technology coordinators, teachers, and trainers face every day. Sometimes answers are in easy reach; but sometimes those answers are not nearly so easy to find or implement. As many who have spent time in support, teaching, training, or other jobs where interaction with people and technology is a daily affair can tell you, the sticking point behind many a situation does not just lie with one single culprit, nor are solutions always permanent or universally applicable. Age, background, gender, education, and personal limitations all can have an impact on how a person reacts to or interacts with technology in the classroom or the workplace, but there is rarely any single "best" or "correct" way to address each unique need. Thus, this book is not meant to be prescriptive, but instead is meant to provide you with the foundational knowledge and insights necessary to help you create and adapt solutions that better meet the needs of the diverse learners you may encounter, regardless of industry or specific instructional design process.
One reader’s testimonial:
"Putting People First: Human Issues in Instructional Technology is one of the best resources I’ve read for teachers interested in integrating technology into the learning environment... Trekles uses an instructional technology design model to analyze on-line learners and design learning spaces that meet the needs of all students. She identifies best practices in online instructional facilitation and describes ways to develop media and learning materials. Her overview of copyright law, security, and ethics within the context of distance learning is informative and insightful.?Putting People First: Human Issues in Instructional Technology is well organized and user-friendly. Its forward-thinking format has links embedded throughout the text. The reader can simply click on the link and go to the source referenced in the book.
Each chapter includes easy-to-use charts that summarize the key points and identify standards addressed in the chapter. At the end of every chapter, there is also a recommended activity that gives the reader an opportunity to apply skills addressed in the lesson. Finally, there are higher-level thinking questions related to each topic.
If you are a teacher interested trying to find meaningful ways to incorporate technology into your curriculum, an administrator thinking about the needs of the people in your institution, or a technology coordinator training people to use technology, this is a must-have ebook for your library. And at $19.99, it is definitely a worthwhile investment." -Silvana Morgan, Fifth Grade Teacher, ?Clark Middle School, Saint John, Indiana, USA
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