One human performance improvement problem our school has is a set social communication website. We have been using a program called Edline to communicate with parents and students, but some teachers complain that it is not as easy to use as a Wiki, and you can’t use it in your instruction as much. This year our school expanded its 1:1 laptop program for 5th and 6th graders and we started using the e-learning tool called Edu 2.0. Because technology is advancing so rapidly and there are many innovative ways to communicate to the school community, it is now important to adopt a school-wide program. I would have a faculty meeting with the school, showing the pros and cons with all the programs mentioned. Then, I would have a survey sent out to all the teachers, parents, and students to decide which program is most effective. Because student learning is the most important element, it should take precedence over convenience. After analyzing the survey, I would make a decision on which one was best to use.
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Part 2: Electronic Performance Support System
Maughan, George R.. Journal of Technology Studies, v31 n1 p49-56 Win 2005.
EPSS is a configuration of hardware, software, and content accessible by employees or students and structured to provide users with information to permit them to do their jobs or perform tasks with minimal intervention by others.
Barker, Philip; van Schaik, Paul; Famakinwa, Oladeji. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, v44 n3 p243-255 Aug 2007.
Computer-based systems used as a basis for building the necessary interventions for performance improvement.
I liked the definition that George R. Maughan gave because it gave a detailed listing of what EPSS is. It mentioned that it is not only software but hardware with content for the person to gain knowledge with little or no help from another person.
I think that EPSS was not as popular in the past because the cost to create the system was too high. Now with an increased amount of information and tools that are better and in more supply, EPSS will become an integral part in a student or worker’s daily tasks. It is also important that the EPSS be mobile. People are always on the go and, with the help of smart phones, it is now possible to have an EPSS that you can access almost anywhere.
Here is the first video in a serise about EPSS that I fond interesting.
I found this site helpful and informative:
https://www.msu.edu/~sleightd/epssyn.html
Part 3: Knowledge Management System
The international school I work at is only 6 years old. Because it is a private school it doesn’t have to follow the same rules and regulations that a traditional public school in Texas does. Also, because it is such a young school that is still in the process of adopting and reviewing standards/benchmarks and is still developing curriculum, we are struggling to ensure that we have a balanced curriculum throughout the grades. We decided to use a program called Rubicon Atlas to help map our curriculum. Curriculum maps help everyone involved with the curriculum to enter the program for analysis. It allows educators to see what students have learned in previous years and to prepare them for future classes. It is designed to facilitate the sharing of ideas and instructional best practices. It also helps ensure that the curriculum stays balanced as teachers leave and new teachers come. The new teachers do not have to start from scratch, trying to plan and implement curriculum based on that standards and benchmarks because the units are already mapped in Rubicon Atlas. The teacher then has easy access to all the units and can easily make adjustments for the new school year without having to start from scratch.
In my life I have been exposed to informal learning opportunities on a daily basis – whether it is at work, traveling, or visiting family and friends. I would have to say my biggest informal learning takes place at work, as a teacher learning never stops. There are always new things to learn and problems that arise. I have moved around a lot as a teacher, and each new subject I teach brings new learning experiences. I graduated college in December as a certified elementary teacher, and I was hired to teach 3rd grade in the following fall in South Korea. However, I was asked if I could come early and teach art for the rest of the year because the previous art teacher was fired. I said I would, so I flew to South Korea the next week and started to work immediately. Jet lagged and teaching a subject that I was not the most qualified for meant I had to learn quickly. I not only had to learn about how to be an art teacher but also about how the school operated — not to mention the fact that I was now living in a foreign county. I felt like everyone was the instructor; the other teachers I worked with gave me advice, I learned from the reading articles online and watching videos, and I especially learned from doing. The students were great teachers on how to be a good teacher.
