The General Mantra, Constraints, and Trends Affecting My Workplace as it Relates to Instructional Design & Technology (ID&T)
Author:
Richard Benvenuti:
Well, what we do here at instructional technology, our main mantra is to provide whatever teachers and students need to help them improve instruction. We like to keep up to date with all the newest technology out there and if those technologies can improve education. And we are not improving the teacher; we are improving how she provides instruction. The teacher is still the main focus in the classroom. The teacher does the teaching, not the technology. All technology does is facilitates that process of taking knowledge and transferring it over to students.
For example, while laptops are great tools, they are just tools. They don't teach the students mathematics, but laptops can be used to learn or research other things that students can put together, such as a project. For example, you could use a development project that uses mathematics. And so, students practice those skills using that tool. But in the end, instruction is done by the teacher. Technology supports that instruction. And that's what we're here for; making sure that the teachers have all the technology needed in the classroom to provide that instruction effectively. (R. Benvenuti, personal communication, July 12, 2022)
Author:
Richard Benvenuti:
There are multiple challenges; however, the is money. Funding is a big issue because technology is not one and done. When you go out, and you buy a laptop, well, that laptop has a shelf life. After that shelf life goes, you have to buy another one. So it is always understood that budgeting for technology isn't a one-off; it's a continuous and ongoing process. It will continue for whatever time this institution is operational. Without that thought or practice of putting the funds aside for continuing technical support, the improvement would be short-lived. Without replacing, maintaining, and replacing technology as needed, we would eventually go back to how it was before, where teachers were lecturing (like big talking heads in front of their classrooms). Instead of the real goal, which is to use technology to:
Okay. So that's one. So the second is teachers' adoption; how comfortable they are with technology. Newer teachers wouldn't necessarily be as comfortable with technology. It has to do with the person. They have to be comfortable using the technology as part of their pedagogy. So even though one might expect a new teacher to be more receptive to technology, that doesn't always occur. The educator has to be willing to try new things and not get frustrated when things don't work right away. So are those soft skills. Those are personal skills. I don't think that that's a learned skill from experience or taught by the universities. So those are the two things, money and teachers are the two things that are the biggest challenges. (R. Benvenuti, personal communication, July 12, 2022)
Author:
Richard Benvenuti:
I do see that we're moving towards, a lot more online learning, but also adaptive classrooms. Classrooms that can adapt to whatever the needs are for that instruction. For example, maybe the classroom walls become adaptive to teaching. In other words, you can write all over the walls, automatically capturing it and then sending it to the students. I mean,, we've seen a lot of videos about what the future holds. We are currently using interactive smart panels right now. And with those panels, you can save that information and send it to students. But let's say the classroom changes a little more boards, becomes glass, glass becomes wall. Then guess what? You could have adaptive classrooms. They could adapt around 360 degrees where instruction doesn't necessarily have to be in the front of the classroom. The media could wrap around the classroom and then think about it if you didn't have students that fall through the cracks or lose interest. Students do not have to just come up to the front of the classroom. The educator could say, okay, everybody, we are working in collaborative groups today, and all she would have to do was point to a spot on the wall. Students could work together and all have access to technology. I see that as the future. Cool. (R. Benvenuti, personal communication, July 12, 2022)
Author:
- All right. So we're here with Richard Benvenuti, director of Instructional Technology for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022)
- And the first thing I wanted to reach out and ask him was what he thinks or sees as the current mantra in the organization (the contemporary philosophy or overriding thought that guides the organization). (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017)
Richard Benvenuti:
Well, what we do here at instructional technology, our main mantra is to provide whatever teachers and students need to help them improve instruction. We like to keep up to date with all the newest technology out there and if those technologies can improve education. And we are not improving the teacher; we are improving how she provides instruction. The teacher is still the main focus in the classroom. The teacher does the teaching, not the technology. All technology does is facilitates that process of taking knowledge and transferring it over to students.
For example, while laptops are great tools, they are just tools. They don't teach the students mathematics, but laptops can be used to learn or research other things that students can put together, such as a project. For example, you could use a development project that uses mathematics. And so, students practice those skills using that tool. But in the end, instruction is done by the teacher. Technology supports that instruction. And that's what we're here for; making sure that the teachers have all the technology needed in the classroom to provide that instruction effectively. (R. Benvenuti, personal communication, July 12, 2022)
Author:
- Okay, excellent. The second question that kind of ties into, what are the biggest challenges for accomplishing that mission?
Richard Benvenuti:
There are multiple challenges; however, the is money. Funding is a big issue because technology is not one and done. When you go out, and you buy a laptop, well, that laptop has a shelf life. After that shelf life goes, you have to buy another one. So it is always understood that budgeting for technology isn't a one-off; it's a continuous and ongoing process. It will continue for whatever time this institution is operational. Without that thought or practice of putting the funds aside for continuing technical support, the improvement would be short-lived. Without replacing, maintaining, and replacing technology as needed, we would eventually go back to how it was before, where teachers were lecturing (like big talking heads in front of their classrooms). Instead of the real goal, which is to use technology to:
- drive project learning,
- to engage students,
- to do research,
- to engage students, and
- to learn technology.
Okay. So that's one. So the second is teachers' adoption; how comfortable they are with technology. Newer teachers wouldn't necessarily be as comfortable with technology. It has to do with the person. They have to be comfortable using the technology as part of their pedagogy. So even though one might expect a new teacher to be more receptive to technology, that doesn't always occur. The educator has to be willing to try new things and not get frustrated when things don't work right away. So are those soft skills. Those are personal skills. I don't think that that's a learned skill from experience or taught by the universities. So those are the two things, money and teachers are the two things that are the biggest challenges. (R. Benvenuti, personal communication, July 12, 2022)
Author:
- Okay. as a final one, for the conclusion, where do you see us heading regarding emerging trends in this field?
Richard Benvenuti:
I do see that we're moving towards, a lot more online learning, but also adaptive classrooms. Classrooms that can adapt to whatever the needs are for that instruction. For example, maybe the classroom walls become adaptive to teaching. In other words, you can write all over the walls, automatically capturing it and then sending it to the students. I mean,, we've seen a lot of videos about what the future holds. We are currently using interactive smart panels right now. And with those panels, you can save that information and send it to students. But let's say the classroom changes a little more boards, becomes glass, glass becomes wall. Then guess what? You could have adaptive classrooms. They could adapt around 360 degrees where instruction doesn't necessarily have to be in the front of the classroom. The media could wrap around the classroom and then think about it if you didn't have students that fall through the cracks or lose interest. Students do not have to just come up to the front of the classroom. The educator could say, okay, everybody, we are working in collaborative groups today, and all she would have to do was point to a spot on the wall. Students could work together and all have access to technology. I see that as the future. Cool. (R. Benvenuti, personal communication, July 12, 2022)
Author:
- Excellent. Thank you very, very much.
References
Miami-Dade County Public Schools. (2022). Division of Instructional Materials, Instructional Technology and Library Media Services. it.dadeschools.net; Dadeschools.net. https://it.dadeschools.net/#!/
Reiser, R., & Dempsey, J. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (What's New in Ed Psych / Tests & Measurements) (4th ed.). Pearson.
Zurier, S. (2015, October 5). [Photograph of Richard Benvenuti from article Innovation Fosters Student-Centric Learning. EdTech Focus on K-12]. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2015/10/innovation-fosters-student-centric-learning
Reiser, R., & Dempsey, J. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (What's New in Ed Psych / Tests & Measurements) (4th ed.). Pearson.
Zurier, S. (2015, October 5). [Photograph of Richard Benvenuti from article Innovation Fosters Student-Centric Learning. EdTech Focus on K-12]. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2015/10/innovation-fosters-student-centric-learning
