Final Reflection

• Hybrid classes are synchronous and asynchronous in the same course.  Online video once meant asynchronous text; some images and a rare video have become a wonderful mix of video, audio, animation and interactivity.
• Academic distributed learning Distance learning is a subset of distributed learning, focusing on students who may be separated in time and space from their peers and the instructor. Distributed learning can occur either on or off campus, providing students with greater flexibility and eliminating time as a barrier to learning. A common feature of both distance and distributed learning is technology.
• Virtual classes are an environment where the process of sharing information and skills for actual or simulated tasks in a social environment that learning takes place and people develop professionally and personally.
• Distributed learning at physical locations is something that my school district requires of us.  We have to earn 18 hours extra throughout the school year.  Other teachers and professionals in the district provide DL sessions that are designed to help us learn and support us professionally.  They are very helpful and are usually very beneficial to us in our jobs.
• Distributed learning via virtual locations my district also offers some DL via the internet and virtual ecourses.   They are convenient and easy to complete on your own time.  Distance and distributive learning have changed the way we do professional development and it has opened our options tremendously.  

• Looking back over my graduate school classes I have had very few classes that have don’t have much reusability for my career.  I wish that I had more lessons and things that I could use in the library.  I would have like to do more observations of librarians teaching lessons to give me a sense of how things should work in a library.  I did learn valuable information that has proven to help me in my current job as a librarian.  I find reusability to be a great asset to me as an elementary school librarian.

• Using book trailers is a media rich tool to get kids excited about reading is one of my favorite tools.  My students get very excited about the books I show them using book trailers.  They give them a very brief and limited summary of the book along with pictures and music.  I choose the Hunger Games books trailer based on its current popularity. 

• Nanotechnology could help me keep the books in the library in better shape.  Kids are rough on books and the books don’t hold up for very long.  If the materials that made up the covers were more durable and waterproof the books would be easier to keep clean and in good condition.  I often have to take a new book out of circulation because a students has spilled something on it or the book has come apart.   Nanotechnology could help make a more durable material to cover books with and keep the books on the shelves longer for students to enjoy. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The "broad and inclusive road" is the best thing for the future of instructional design and technologies, in my opinion.  The straight and narrow is to restrictive and does not allow room for growth within the industry.  Technological design and instruction is changing at a very rapid pace and we have to to try to stay up with it.  If we do not adapt and change with the technology we are doomed to fail.  The ever changing field of instructional technology is an opportunity for all  to grow and teach our children in a way they have never been taught before.  Technology is changing the way we educate our children and we have to adapt the way we design our instruction to meet the needs of today's learner.