Trend and Issues in Various Settings

There are many differences and similarities in Instructional Design across various settings.  Business and industry, military and P-12 education all share the difficulties of funding.  Although businesses do not have the constraints of government funding, demands of consumers to reduce pricing and demands of stock-holders to increase profits place businesses in the same type of financial distress.  I do however feel that businesses have more ability to supply money when needed.  Both military and P-12 education depend on government funding.  As I have seen as both a military contracted software engineer and as a teacher, government funding can lead to extreme financial fluctuation.  In the military, changes in political parties can cause financial fluctuation.  In education, law changes can be the cause.  Several years ago, the additional funding from No Child Left Behind allowed a short-term time of financing for schools, especially special education departments.  This led to a large number of first generation iPads to be purchased for special education classrooms in my district.  These iPads were distributed with very little instruction or guidance.  They have also become older technology.  Many newer apps are not compatible with these units and the QR code technologies that are becoming more popular are not usable with these units, due to no camera on the units.  The large influx of funds provided some new, exciting technology, but how much did this technology contribute to the education of special education students?  Has anyone done studies to see how or if these are being used?  Will we replace them with the next influx of funding even without a study?

I worry a great deal about the youth of today and how they will address the problems already occurring due to over-population and under planning.  The current education system, curriculum and instructional practices might one day show an increase in problem solving, but even if that occurs, will children care to address the problems in nature?  The paper, pencil and textbook learning which may take away any magic of the natural world.

I love some of the things that I read about teaching in Japan.  Teachers are highly revered and competition to become a teacher is fierce.  Teachers have self taught or passed from on to another the skills of technology because they want what is best for their students.  In a country where teachers are not highly-paid and less revered over time (generations ago, parents would never have treated teachers the way that they do now), our country's teachers are often too discouraged to learn new skills on their own.   Additionally, the pool of applicants for many teaching jobs is low to medium quality, due to changes necessary (alternative certification, waivers, exemptions) to simply have enough teachers to fill seats.  Can you imagine living in a country where you had to work hard and compete to have the honor of becoming a teacher?  The non-competitive, non-outcome based pay structure here in the United States is another problem.  Can you imagine being paid more for going above and beyond?  Can you imagine having to do what is best for students because there are many others waiting to take your place who will?

I would like to comment on some of the European countries reluctance to accept technology and instructional design.  In general, I dislike the "that is the way we have always done it" mentality.  I think being open-minded to change is important.  However, I worry that in the United States we have over embraced the concept of technology, not as a tool for better teaching but simply as a tool.  Many technologies are being purchased and handed out at schools across the US, but the training necessary (beyond the 'this is how to turn it on' training) to inspire teachers to utilize the technology to increase learning and independence is not occurring.  All the STaR charts in the world are not going to create change if there is no inspiration to want to change.