Final ID Project

8/10/2019 Final ID Project

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Classroom Website Development and

Management

Final ID Project

EDTECH 503

Andy Roundy

May 10, 2013


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Table of Contents

Synthesis Reflection Paper .................................................................................................... 3

Part 1: Classroom Websites .................................................................................................. 5

Part 1a. Stated learning goal ........................................................................................................... 5

Part 1b. Description of the audience ............................................................................................ 5

Part 1c. Rationale ................................................................................................................................ 5

Part 2: Analysis Report ........................................................................................................... 6

Part 2a. Description of the need .................................................................................................... 6

Part 2a.1. Needs assessment survey.......................................................................................................... 6

Part 2a.2. Needs assessment data report................................................................................................ 6

Part 2b. Description of the learning context ............................................................................. 8

Part 2b.1. Learning context.......................................................................................................................... 8

Part 2b.2. Transfer context........................................................................................................................... 8

Part 2c. Description of the learners ............................................................................................. 9

Part 2d. Task analysis flow chart ............................................................................................... 10

Part 3. Planning ...................................................................................................................... 20

Part 3a. Learning objectives ......................................................................................................... 20

Part 3b. Objectives and assessment matrix table ................................................................. 20

Part 3c. ARCS table ........................................................................................................................... 22

Part 4. Instructor Guide ....................................................................................................... 24

Part 5. Learner Content ....................................................................................................... 28

Part 5a. Learning materials .......................................................................................................... 28

Part 5b. Assessment materials .................................................................................................... 29Part 5c. Technology tool justification ....................................................................................... 30

Part 6. Formative Evaluation Plan ................................................................................... 31

Part 6a. Expert review plan .......................................................................................................... 31

Part 6b. One-to-One evaluation plan......................................................................................... 31

Part 6c. Small Group evaluation plan ....................................................................................... 32

Part 6d. Field Trial evaluation plan ........................................................................................... 32

Part 7. Formative Evaluation Report .............................................................................. 34

Part 7a. Evaluation survey or rubric ......................................................................................... 34

Part 7b. Results of the expert review ........................................................................................ 34

Part 7c. Comments on change ...................................................................................................... 34

Part 8. AECT Standards Grid .............................................................................................. 35

Appendix A. Student Instructional Guide ...................................................................... 42

Works Cited ............................................................................................................................. 71


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Synthesis Reflection PaperPrevious to this class, I thought I knew a thing or two about instructional

design, being a teacher. This course has done an excellent job of showing me howlittle I really knew. I look at many aspects of instruction in my classroom in a

different way now. One of the very first tasks we had this semester was to create a

needs assessment. I developed a survey to see if a need for my project actually

existed and what my learners needs were. This got me thinking about my own

classroom. How often had I given lessons or delivered instruction without a single

thought to whether or not my students needed it? How many times had I prepared

a lesson without ever spending time thinking about the learners? It seems with

each new module, I have been encountering instructional principles that make me

rethink many of the things I do on a daily basis. For example, before creating any

content related materials for our project, we developed the goal of what the

instruction would be and all of the objectives for reaching that goal. The goal andthe objectives guided the creation of my content. This is the exact opposite of the

approach that I typically took in my classroom. Ive always focused on the content

first. Once I knew what I had to teach and how I was going to teach it, I would think

about what I wanted students to gain from it. An extension of this idea of creating

the objectives before content was the creation of assessment materials before

instructional materials. Using the objective matrix we developed a plan for

assessing students learning. This part of the project added to methods I learned

about this last summer when my grade level began a switch over to proficiency

grading. We spent a great deal of time developing assessments for all the units of

our math and language arts curriculum for this year using state content standards to

guide us. An objective matrix could have been an excellent aid to the work we did.It may not be feasible for me to create full instructional designs for everything that I

teach in my classroom, but I can take what Ive learned about design and use the

principles to make my instruction more effective.

According to Smith and Ragan (2005), the term designimplies a systematic

or intensive planning and ideation process prior to the development of something or

the execution of some plan in order to solve some problem. (p. 6) I coach basketball

at my school. For me, designing instruction is like developing a new basketball play.

Whenever I create a play, I first look to see what the purpose or need of the play is. I

ask myself, What weakness or problem is this play meant to overcome? It is the

same in instructional design. You start by asking yourself, What problem am I

trying to solve? To design a basketball play that will be effective you must knowyour players, understanding their strengths and weaknesses. You build plays that

will take advantage of players strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Design

does the same thing; you analyze your learners and the learning environment, so

that you can create instruction that will work for their needs. The similarities

continue, after looking at my players, I then break down the task that I want to

accomplish. Maybe I want to get the ball to my post or get my best shooter open for

a three-point shot. I think about the defense Im facing, player movements, and


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principles of good offense. Having done this, I can then begin to create the process

for accomplishing my end goal. All of these things are reminiscent of the task

analysis process in design. Finally, after some practice, the play is evaluated by how

successful it is in helping a team to score. Just as in a basketball play, learners

ability to score or meet learning objectives serves as the evaluation for an

instructional design. As in Smith and Ragans definition of design, both mybasketball play and an instructional design have been executed so a problem can be

solved.

Working as teacher, I have already found myself infusing design principles

into my own teaching. Recently, I have found myself reworking my lesson

organization to included sections laid out in our text. I have been implementing

short attention gaining activities and even informing my students on exactly what it

is they are supposed to be learning each day. Along with this I have been paying

much greater attention to my objectives and ensuring that my lessons are working

to achieve them. This summer I hope to use what I have learned in this course to

redesign some of my current geography units. Right now, they have a great deal of

content depth, but they lack clearly defined objectives and a planned means ofassessing student learning. Using what I have learned, I believe that I can remedy

these problems.

In the future, I hope to have the opportunity to teach courses online. I

believe that the skills I have gained in this course will serve me well in that

endeavor. I would use the entire instructional design process or a great deal of it to

create any online course that I may teach. If I dont have to design the course, then I

would at least be making use of an instructional design created by someone else. My

familiarity with design would help me to implement the instruction more efficiently

and provide valuable feedback for improving the course during and at the end of the

coursework. Another hope I have for the future is to share my knowledge of

educational technology by providing training for other teachers. In order to developtrainings that would be beneficial, I can rely on the skills in instructional design that

I have gained from this course. Instructional design principles will make the

training more efficient and help me to best meet the needs of those I am instructing.

I can see the skills that I have gained in instructional design serving me well for the

remainder of my educational career.


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Part 1: Classroom Websites

Part 1a. Stated learning goal

Learners will be able to create and maintain a classroom website that includes a

homepage, homework page, and announcements page to communicate with parentsusing wordpress.com.

Part 1b. Description of the audience

The intended audience for this course of instruction is fourth through seventh grade

classroom teachers.

Part 1c. Rationale

One of the tasks that teachers have is to communicate with the parents of their students.

Often this communication can be sporadic and difficult to maintain. Notes and letters

sent home with students do not always make it home to parents. Emails and telephone

calls can be time consuming for teachers. Parents often are not aware of what exactly isbeing taught and assigned in class. Obtaining this information would require parents to

contact the teacher directly and frequently. This project is aimed at overcoming these

communication problems. The development of classroom websites can alleviate or

lessen these communication problems. Teachers can communicate information to

parents by placing it all in one central location for parents to view it if they desire. Once

developed, maintenance is relatively simple and does not require more than a few

minutes.

The overall strategy for this instruction is primarily supplantive. A great deal of the

instruction deals with procedural knowledge. This procedural knowledge is not

knowledge that learners will be able to generate on their own. Learners will need to be

led through the process of website creation to limit frustration and to assure that the

instructional goal is achieved. There is a specific sequence that should be followed by

learners to maximize the efficiency of their skill acquisition. Very little of the instruction

will be generative, being limited to learners having the choice of exactly what information

their websites will include and the appearance websites will have.

Procedural learning is the classification for the major instructional strategy of this project.

The reason for this classification is that the development of a website requires the

learning of steps and procedures. To accomplish the learning goals stated for this

instructional design, learners must acquire knowledge of a number of procedures that gointo creating a website. The learning outcomes for this project require learners to

perform and complete a series of procedures. Instructional strategies should then, out of

necessity, be designed for the learning of procedures.


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Part 2: Analysis Report

Part 2a. Description of the need

Part 2a.1. Needs assessment survey

An online needs assessment survey and follow up survey, a combined 14 questions inlength, were developed and delivered to 16 classroom teachers. Of the 16 teachers that

received the surveys, 8 of them responded. The surveys sought to gather information in

three main areas. First, they sought to obtain information about teachers knowledge

and background in working with computer and navigating on the Internet. Second, the

surveys gathered information about teachers previous experience in blogging, website

development, and their familiarity with wordpress.com. Finally, they gathered information

about teachers general attitudes toward Internet communication and their level of

interest in learning to create classroom websites. As a part of this final section, the

surveys also asked about specific types of information teachers would want to have

included on a classroom website. The final two questions of the second survey sought

to obtain some more general demographic information such as the gender of the

learners and the number of years they have been teaching. Below are the actual

questions of the survey and answer options:

How comfortable are you using a computer for work related tasks? (1 to 5 scale)

How comfortable are you using and navigating on the Internet? (1 to 5 scale)

How often do you use your computer for communication such as email? (1-5

scale)

How do you feel about using the Internet to communicate with parents? (written

response)

Have you ever used wordpress.com? (Yes or No) How interested are you in creating a website to communicate with parents? (1-5

scale)

Do you feel like a classroom website would be beneficial to you and your class?

(Yes or No)

Do you think that parents of your students would use a classroom website if you

had it? (Yes or No)

Have you ever created a website or blog using any web-based service? (Yes or

No)

Do you already have a class website? (Yes or No)

How interested would you be in learning to create a class website? (1-5 scale)

If you did have a classroom website, which of the following would you want to

include: (choose from provided options)

How long have you been teaching? (choose from provided options)

Gender? (Male or Female)

Part 2a.2. Needs assessment data report

Of the eight teachers that responded to the survey, all of them state that they have a

high level of comfort using computers for work related tasks and navigating on the


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Internet. All respondents also state that they frequently use computers for work

communication. When asked how they feel about using the Internet to communicate

with parents, nearly all respondents say they currently use email to communicate with

some parents. Many also state that due to the makeup of their classrooms internet

communication is not a viable option for some parents due to lack of knowledge or

internet access. In general, responses about feelings toward using Internet as acommunication tool were positive. When respondents were asked about their level of

interest in creating a classroom website to communicate with parents six respondents

were very interested with the two remaining being moderately interested. Along with this,

six respondents had a strong interest in learning to create a classroom website. One

person did not respond to this question and one already knows how to create a website

using wordpress.com. Background knowledge in blogging and website creation is

limited, only two respondents have ever created a blog or classroom website before

using a web-based service. Only one respondent has ever used wordpress.com before

and three respondents have never heard of the service. When asked if they believe

parents would view and make use of a classroom website, five respondents believe they

would while 3 do not. However, all respondents believe that a classroom website would

be beneficial to their classes. All respondents were asked what information they would

like a classroom website to contain, chosen from a list of common classroom website

contents. The following are the results to this question:

Based on the results of the survey, it could be said that there is an interest in learning to

develop classroom websites among the respondents. It could also be said that basic

computer and Internet navigation skills are already in place for all the targeted learners.


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However, skills specific to website development using internet-based services are

minimal.

Part 2b. Description of the learning contextInstruction is being designed for adult learners. All of the anticipated learners are

classroom teachers at a 4th through 7th grade intermediate school. The 4th through 6th

grade teachers are classified as elementary teachers that have contained classrooms.

The 7th grade teachers are classified as secondary teachers that teach only a couple of

subjects and their students move from class to class. The needs of the 7th grade

teachers will differ slightly from those of their elementary counterparts. Teachers often

feel that they are very busy and have to juggle many different tasks. Learning new skills

on their own is often not an easy task and one that they do not have time for during the

workday. Many often feel that they do not receive adequate training for some of the

tasks that they are asked to perform. Some teachers can feel a certain degree of

anxiety when learning to use new computer programs. Often there can be some degree

of backlash or resistance when new computer programs or applications are adopted in

the school to replace older or outdated programs. Most schools have a very limited

amount of time available for teacher training during work hours. Learning may need to

be spread out over several sessions.

Part 2b.1. Learning context

Learning will take place in a school computer lab. The lab consists of 35 computer

stations. This is more than adequate for the 16 anticipated learners that should be taking

part in the training. There is an instructor station that gives the instructor access to the

desktop of all computers in the room and the ability to take control of any computer in

the room. Students may also send questions to the instructors computer from their

computer and the instructor may then send a response directly to learner computers.

The room is also equipped with a projector and screen. The projector is not connected

to the instructor workstation, however, which means two different computers will need to

be utilized during the course of instruction. Every computer in the room has access to

the internet and the Microsoft office suite, which is adequate for all learning tasks. The

room also has whiteboards on both sides that can be used for instructional purposes.

The instructor is a classroom teacher and colleague of the learners. The instructor is

experienced in working with wordpress.com and other blogging and website creation

services. This will be the instructors first time training other teachers in the creation of

classroom websites. The instructor knows each of the learners personally, and isfamiliar with the learning environment and the tools available in it and how to operate

them. No existing curriculum is available for the instruction.

Part 2b.2. Transfer context

Skills gained in the training will be used in teacher classrooms using their classroom

teacher workstation computers. These computers have Internet connections and the

same Microsoft office suite software as the computers in the lab. Teachers could also


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make use of their home computers. Internet connection speeds and software available

may vary at teachers homes, but as long as there is a stable internet connection that

allows access to wordpress.com teachers should be able create and maintain websites

from home. Any computer that has Internet access would be adequate for learners to

apply their knowledge. Learners may also use skills gained in training to create blogs or

websites for personal use or at home businesses.

Part 2c. Description of the learners

The learners for which instruction is being developed are all classroom teachers of

grades 4 through 7. The majority of them are elementary teachers that teach all

subjects in a contained classroom. Four of the learners are secondary teachers that

each specialize in a specific content area and have students that move from class to

class. There are 16 anticipated learners, 12 women and 4 men. Based on the needs

assessment survey, all of the learners have a high level of comfort working with

computers and navigating on the Internet. Only two of the learners that responded to

the survey have any previous knowledge or background in creating blogs or websites.

Only one learner has used wordpress.com before. All learners are competent in the use

of email for work related communication. Of those that responded to the needs survey

the majority expressed a high level of interest in learning or being trained how to create

classroom websites. There is a large amount of variance in the number of years that the

learners have been teaching. The following chart shows the breakdown of years of

teaching experience for those that responded to the needs survey:

It should be noted that only half of the learners responded to the needs assessment

survey. The majority of the learners hold masters degrees in education related fields

and have participated in or taken courses in an online setting.


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Part 2d. Task analysis flow chart


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Part 3. Planning

Part 3a. Learning objectives

Given a computer with internet connection, learners will be able to:

1.0 log in to wordpress.com and open a new blog

2.0 explain what the dashboard is and what it is used for in wordpress.com

3.0 explain to a classmate the difference between a page and a post on a

blog

4.0 publish a homepage on their blog

4.1 explain what a homepage is to a classmate

5.0 demonstrate how to delete a page from a blog to a classmate

6.0 publish at least three posts and demonstrate how to assign each post to a

category

6.1 discuss and explain what categories are used for on websites

6.2 create homework and announcement categories7.0 demonstrate to a classmate how to delete a post from a page on their

blog

8.0 identify three appropriate widgets for a class web page and apply them to

their blog

8.1 explain to a classmate what widgets are and what they are used

for on blogs

9.0 construct a navigation menu that includes the homepage, homework

category page, and announcements category page.

10.0 add a picture to the homepage and post of their blog

10.1 demonstrate how to change the caption, size, and alignment of

the picture

11.0 apply and customize a theme by changing the heading, tagline,

background, color, layout, and images.

Part 3b. Objectives and assessment matrix table

Learning

Objectives

(a)

Blooms

Taxonomy

Classification

(b)

Format of

Assessment

(c)

Description

of Test Form

(d)

Sample Items (e)

1.0 Application Performance Observation Log in and open a new

blog

2. 0 Comprehension Performance Discussion With a learning partner

discuss what the

dashboard is and what it is


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used for

3.0 Comprehension Performance Discussion With a learning partner

discuss the difference

between a page and a post

4.0 Application Performance Observation

with checklist

Publish a homepage on a

blog

4.1 Comprehension Performance Discussion With a classmate discuss

what a homepage is and

the type of information it

may contain


with checklist

Demonstrate to a

classmate how a page is

deleted from a blog.


with checklist

Publish 3 posts and assign

each post to one of the

categories on your blog.

6.1 Comprehension Performance Discussion Discuss with the classwhat categories are usedfor on a blog.

6.2 Application Performance Observationwith checklist

Create homework andannouncements

categories.


with checklist

Delete a post from your

blog.

8.0 Comprehension

and Application

Performance Observation

with checklist

Select 3 appropriate

widgets and apply them to

your blogs homepage

8.1 Comprehension Performance Discussion With a classmate discuss

what widgets are and how

they are used on blogs


with checklist

Create a navigation menu

that includes links to the

homepage,

announcements page, and

homework page.


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with checklist

Use media tool to insert a

picture onto the homepage

and one blog post.


with checklist

Change the caption, size,

and alignment of a picturewhen it is inserted into the

blog


with checklist

Modify the theme of your

blog by changing the

heading, tagline,

background, color, layout

and images.

Part 3c. ARCS table

ATTENTION

A.1 Perceptual Arousal

In order to capture learner interest, pose the question How many of you have a Facebook

account? Many people have a Facebook account or are at least familiar with Facebook.

A2. Inquiry Arousal

Ask learners about situations that they very likely have experienced in their own classrooms,

such as students not taking letters home to parents, parents emailing about school work, kids

going on vacation or missing school and asking what they missed. These are all problems

that the instruction seeks to alleviate and that most of the learners face.

A3. Variability

To maintain attention use a laser pointer or other device to draw learner attention to important

locations on the screen. For new concepts provide analogies that relate the new concept to

an already known concept. When demonstrating how to insert pictures into a page or post

use pictures of a humorous nature.

RELEVANCE

R1. Goal orientation

Meet learners needs by demonstrating each step of the process and then allow them to


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practice on their computers. To aid in accomplishing this activity, provide each learner with a

printed version of all instructions that includes pictures and illustrations.

R2. Motive matching

During the creation of the practice classroom website and the learners own classroomwebsite, allow them to choose what information they include and the pictures they will use.

R3. Familiarity

As learners create each section of their website remind them of the problems in their

classroom that they have faced previously that these sections will address. For example,

when they create the homework page remind them how this will fix the problem of parents not

knowing if their students have homework or not and students asking what they have missed

when they have been absent.

CONFIDENCE

C1. Learning requirements

Goals of the instruction will be directed at fulfilling learner needs for parent communication in

their classrooms through the use of classroom websites. Their needs in this area are

determined by a survey given prior to instruction.

C2. Success opportunities

Learners will gain a knowledge of website creation that is readily applicable to their

professional responsibilities. The successful completion of each step in the procedure will

provide students with a feeling of competence.

C3. Personal control

Students will complete all of the tasks and steps in the procedure on their own computer with

only limited aid from the instructor. They will be able to self evaluate their efforts by

comparing their work with the instructor example. Students will use checklists to help monitor

their progress.

SATISFACTION

S1. Natural consequences

Learners will apply their knowledge by using the websites they create for their own classroom

after the training has concluded.


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S2. Positive consequences

When parents and students begin to use the websites that the learners have created they will

receive the reinforcement of their success.

S3. Equity

Throughout the instruction provide the learners with positive feedback on their progress. As

learners use their websites they will continue to feel good about their accomplishments.

Part 4. Instructor Guide

Introduction

Gain Attention

Pose the following questions to the learners:

How many of you have a Facebook account? (Have learners respond to this

question by raising their hands)

What do you use it for? (call on individual learners to share their answers)

Do you benefit from it in any way? If so, how? (call on individual learners)

Most learners will most likely respond that they do have a Facebook account and that

they use it to communicate with friends and family. They may also mention that they

benefit from it by being able to keep informed on the lives of friends and family.

Next relay to them that communication and the ability to stay informed is one of the great

things that technology has to offer, not just in our personal lives, but in our professionallives as well.

Establish Purpose

Share with the learners that they will be learning to create classroom websites using

wordpress.com that have a homepage, homework page, and announcements page.

Arouse Interest and Motivation

Ask learners to raise their hands if they have experienced any of the following situations:

Have you ever sent home a letter with announcements, but the letter never made

it home?

Have you ever had a parent email and ask you a question about something that

is going on in class?

Have you ever had kids go on vacation and never ask what they were going to

miss?

Have you ever had parents email and ask if there kids have any homework

because they never bring anything home?


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Explain that these situations could be fixed by creating and maintaining a classroom

website that parents can access whenever they want.

Preview Learning Activity

Show students the fully constructed training blog that they will be creating during

instruction. Their first blog will look nearly identical to the training blog. Here is the link:http://trainedbyroundy.wordpress.com/

Explain to learners that they will accomplish the following tasks:

Sign up for a wordpress.com account

Create a new blog

Select a theme

Create pages and posts

Add pictures to the blog

Make a navigation menu

Body

Recall Relevant Prior Knowledge

This piece has partly been done during the gain attention section. To continue to

activate knowledge, ask learners the following question: What are some of the different

ways that we use the Internet to communicate? This should hopefully bring up

responses that refer to some of the different web services used for communication such

as Facebook or Twitter. If it doesnt then, pose the following question, What are some

of the Internet services you are familiar with that allow for communication with individuals

or groups? This should elicit the desired response. This will get students thinking

about how the Internet and services on it are used for communication purposes.

Process Information and ExamplesNote: Before beginning instruction, turn on projector system to assure that it is

functioning properly.

Hand out the student instructional guides to each student, so they may reference them

during instruction. You may even want to refer to pages in the guide as you deliver each

step of the instruction, so students can become familiar with the guide. (Guide is located

in Appendix A of this document.)

1. Using the computer connected to the projector, begin by demonstrating to

learners how to navigate to wordpress.com and sign up for a free account.

(Remember that after each demonstration you should pause and allow

learners time to complete the step on their computers. Take into

consideration that on this step learners will need to access their email to

activate their new accounts.)

2. Demonstrate to learners how to create a new blog.

3. Demonstrate how to select and modify a theme.

4. Show students where the dashboard is located and explain that it is the

main hub for the blog. It is the menu area where all functions of the blog
http://trainedbyroundy.wordpress.com/http://trainedbyroundy.wordpress.com/http://trainedbyroundy.wordpress.com/


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are controlled. It may help to relate it to the term control panel which

many learners may be familiar with.

5. Discuss with learners the difference between a page and a post. An

example that might prove useful would be to relate a page to a letter

written to a friend and a post to a single entry in a journal or diary. The

letter is an unchanging communication, but journal entries change eachtime you write in the journal.

6. Demonstrate how to add a homepage to the blog that includes a picture.

7. Demonstrate how to add a post that includes a picture to the website and

how to create homework and announcement categories and assign it to a

post. (Make sure you stress the importance of creating the homework and

announcement categories and assigning one to each post. If they dont

the post will not be visible to parents that visit the blog)

8. Discuss what categories are used for when working with posts.

Categories are used to separate posts based on their content and can

also be used to create pages for posts that have been assigned to a

specific category.

9. Demonstrate how to delete both a page and a post.

10. Demonstrate where to locate widgets and how to add and remove them

from blog pages.

11. Demonstrate how to construct a navigation menu with home page,

homework, and announcements links.

12. Demonstrate how to set a static homepage for the website.

13. Demonstrate how to change website appearance using the dashboard.

Practice

After each step in the Process Information and Examples section, students will practicethe step individually at each of their own computers. During this practice, learners will

construct the practice classroom website that was displayed during the introduction.

Focus Attention

To help focus learner attention on specific buttons or areas of the website, use a laser

pointer or other similar device to direct attention to the necessary button or icon.

Employ Learning Strategies

Show learners how they can access helps within wordpress.com that will help

them to answer any questions that they may have.

Provide learners with student instructional guide with visuals and written

instructions for each step. (Provided in Appendix A of this document.)

Evaluate Feedback

Learners will obtain feedback in the following ways during practice:

Through observation of their work and comparing it with the example provided by

the instructor.


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Instructor will view work using software on instructor workstation that allows

student desktops to be viewed at any time and will provide relevant feedback to

individual learners.

ConclusionAssessment

Upon completion of demonstrating and practicing all steps for creating a website,

learners will create their own classroom website.

Evaluate Feedback and Seek Remediation

Learners will conduct a self-evaluation based on a checklist of criteria that should be

addressed in the classroom website. (Student checklist is provided in Part 5a. of this

document). The instructor will also evaluate each learners website using an instructor

checklist to check for completion of learning objectives. (Instructor checklist is provided

in Part 5b. of this document.)

Summarize and Review

State to the learners, Today you all had the chance to create your own classroom

websites with a homepage, homework page, and announcements page that you will be

able to use to communicate with your students parents. Excellent work everyone.

Depending on the learners, you may want to review concepts like the difference between

pages and posts or what categories are used for on blogs.

Transfer Learning

Pose the following question to the learners:

What are some other things thatblogs could be used for both in the classroom andoutside the classroom?

Remotivate and Close

Compliment the learners on all their hard work during the training and remind them of

the following benefits that a classroom website provides:

Ability to communicate with all parents using one single forum

Time saved communicating with parents

No more lost notes that dont make it home

All parents can easily know what homework has been assigned

Finally, thank everyone for coming.


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Part 5. Learner Content

Part 5a. Learning materials

Two learning materials have been created for this instructional design. The first is astudent instructional guide that is provided in Appendix A due to its length. Learners will

use this guide during the Process Information and Examples section of instruction and

possibly during the Assessment section. Hopefully, learners will continue to reference

this guide even after they have completed the course.

The second material is a website creation student checklist provided below. This

material is intended to be used by learners during the Assessment section of

instruction as a tool to evaluate their progress and provide themselves feedback on

completion of learning objectives.

Classroom Website Creation Student Checklist

Check off each activity as you complete it during the creation of your own classroom

website.

_______Created a wordpress.com user account

_______Verified new user account through email

_______Written down URL for newly created blog

_______Chosen a theme for your blog

_______Customized the themes color, heading, background, and possibly added an

image

_______Created a homepage page for your blog

_______Added a picture to your homepage

_______Created a homework post

_______Created a homework category and assigned it to your homework post

_______Created an announcement post

_______Created an announcement category and assigned it to your announcement post

_______Added a picture to one of your posts


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_______Applied at least three useful widgets to your blog

_______Created a navigation menu

_______Navigation menu has links to homepage, homework posts, and announcement

posts

_______Set a static homepage for your blog

_______Previewed all work done to your blog and checked for errors and problems

Part 5b. Assessment materials

The only assessment material for this instructional design is a Final Assessment

Performance Checklist, used by the instructor to assess completion of performance

tasks based on learning objectives.

Final Assessment Performance ChecklistTo assess learner achievement on learning objectives use the following checklist.

Select yes or no based on whether or not learners have demonstrated or performed the

following tasks related to course objectives. All of these tasks should be completed

without prompts from peers or the instructor.

Learner has:

Yes No Task

Created a user account for wordpress.com and started a new blog.

Selected a theme for their blog.

Customized that theme by altering the header, tagline, background,

and color.

Explained to a peer or the instructor what the dashboard is and what

is used for in wordpress.com.

Published a homepage page using menus in the dashboard.

Demonstrated how to delete a page from the blog, using dashboard

menus, to the instructor or a peer.


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Published a minimum of three posts on their blog.

Explain the use of categories on a blog to a peer or the instructor.

Created a homework and announcements category.

Assigned categories to each of the posts that were created.

Demonstrated how to delete a post from the blog using the dashboard

menu to a peer or the instructor.

Applied three widgets appropriate for the intended purpose of the

blog.

Created a navigation menu that includes a link for the homepage,

homework posts, and announcement posts.

Demonstrated how to apply a picture to a page or post to a peer or the

instructor.

Applied a picture to a least one page and one post.

Set a caption, selected a size, and set the alignment for the pictures.

Set a static homepage for the blog using menus in the dashboard.

Part 5c. Technology tool justification

This instructional design makes use of the following technology tools: computers

computer-connected projector

Student desktop control software

Computers are necessary to the instructional design because the learning goal of the

design is to teach learners how to use the online technology tool wordpress.com. This is

not possible without the use of a device that can connect to the Internet. Computers are

the most readily accessible and user-friendly devices for this activity.


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A computer-connected projector is necessary for the delivery of instruction. The

instructor will use the projector to demonstrate procedures related to learning objective.

Learners will be able to easily view each step as it is performed and then practice that

step on their own computer. Learners need this visual reinforcement to help understand

the procedures necessary to complete each learning objective. It is not feasible to havethe instructor go about the room showing every step to each individual learner.

Student desktop control software will allow the instructor to easily view student progress.

He can quickly observe progress and use this information to help control the pacing of

instruction. It will also allow students to pose questions without interrupting the entire

class and the instructor can respond when it is convenient. This software also can allow

the instructor to take over student computer during instruction to demonstrated tasks or

correct student mistakes. The tool may also be used to keep students from becoming

distracted, by allowing the instructor to lock computers at times when classroom

discussion is needed.

Part 6. Formative Evaluation Plan

Part 6a. Expert review plan

The SME for this instructional design is Stan Sweet. A teacher in the designers school

and the building website specialist. Materials are expected to be submitted to him on

May 6th and feedback should be received by May 9th at the latest.

Part 6b. One-to-One evaluation plan

To perform a one-to-one evaluation on my instructional design, I would select twoteachers that are part of my target audience. I would look to select teachers from

different grade levels and of different abilities levels relating to the use of technology. I

may also consider selecting teachers of different genders to see if any gender related

problems arise in the design. Since the instruction is supposed to be instructor-led, I

would provide them with all the learner materials that have been developed. I would

also show them the examples that have been developed for the instruction. I would

have them read the learner materials out loud to help gauge understanding and the

appropriateness of vocabulary being used. All this would be done with the designer

present. Along with having them read the materials, I would prompt the learners to

respond to specific questions while they review the materials. The questions I would like

to answer as a result of this particular evaluation are:

Do you understand all instructions provided in the student materials?

Do you understand the tasks being described in the checklists?

Are there any graphics in the student aids that are hard to read or interpret?

What questions, if any do you have after reviewing the materials?

Is any part of the instruction unclear?

Do any of the materials appear to contain any errors?


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What is your overall impression of the tasks and materials?

Do you find that instructions are in a logical sequence?

What did you like about the things you reviewed?

What did you dislike or think could be improved?

Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

Part 6c. Small Group evaluation plan

For this part of the evaluation process, I would evaluate eight learners that represent the

variety of learners from the target audience working with the instructional materials.

These learners would be both male and female and would represent teachers from a

multiple of grade levels. My design does not include a pretest or entry-level test.

Learners would immediately begin working with all of the instructional materials

designed for the learners. Instructor materials would not be shared. The small group

would be done in two sessions with four learners in each session. The reason for this

being that the instruction at times calls for sharing ideas by the group and for some

limited discussion about concepts. These tasks can be evaluated by having a group of

four learners. Learners would review instructional materials and use them to create a

working classroom website which is the main assessment for this instructional design.

The designer would be present for all of these activities to make observations and ask

questions to solicit information from the group. The questions that this evaluation would

seek to answer are:

Did you find any problems or errors in the instructional materials?

Is there anything that you dont understand or that is unclear in the materials?

Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

Was there anything you didnt like about the instruction?

Are learning materials adequate in helping learners reach instructionalobjectives?

Were the learners lacking any skills that are prerequisite for the learning tasks?

How do the learners respond to the instruction?

What are learner attitudes toward the instruction?

How do learners feel about the appropriateness of the instruction?

How long does it take for learners to complete to work through the course of

instruction?

Do learners feel the instruction is relevant to them and their jobs?

Did corrections and modification after one-to-one evaluation alleviate previous

problems?

Part 6d. Field Trial evaluation plan

A field trial would be performed with 15 learners and the instructor. (I know it should be

more like 30, but the number of staff members available for a field trial is limited and 15

is the most that can be managed.) The field trial would take place in the computer lab of

the school that the design had in mind when developed. The instructor would present all


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instruction as designed in the instructor guide. In this case, the instructor would be the

designer as well. Students would work through all learning objectives, practice

processes and complete a working classroom website. Learner would also complete an

exit survey, sharing thoughts, ideas, and attitudes about the instruction and its

presentation. Assessment of practice activities and main website completion would be

evaluated according to the instructional assessment checklist. Accuracy on allobjectives would be looked at and have data compiled. The key questions this stage of

evaluation would wish to answer are:

Were there any unforeseen technical difficulties or learning environment issues?

Were there any issues with the way the instruction is delivered?

Is the instructor delivering instruction as it is designed?

What are learners reactions to the instruction?

Do learners feel successful at accomplishing learning objectives?

Were there any objectives learners did not meet? If so, is the problem related to

instruction or the assessment itself?

Is there anything in the instruction that learners do not like or would change?

Are there any missing skills among the learners that need to be addressed in the

instruction?

Is the instructor comfortable with instructor materials and the delivery of the

instruction?

What worked well in the instruction?

What areas could be further improved?

Is there anything that the learners would change about the instruction?

What did the learners like about the instruction?


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Part 7. Formative Evaluation Report

Part 7a. Evaluation survey or rubric

For this instruction design project an evaluation survey was created to be filled out by

the subject matter expert. Below are the questions included in that survey:

Are there any prerequisite skills that I have neglected to address?

Is the process presented in a logical order that makes sense for instruction?

Could the task be accomplished in an easier or simpler manner?

Are there any steps that have been overlooked in the design?

Have any concepts been poorly explained or presented?

Do you have any recommendations for improvement or change?

What parts were well executed?

Is all information presented clearly and accurately?

The actual survey can be accessed by the following link:http://bit.ly/13lh71l

Part 7b. Results of the expert review

The SME evaluation survey provided various suggestions for improvement. Because

the SME was both a teacher and a website specialist, he made the comment that

currently the instruction is better designed for an elementary level teacher than it is for a

secondary teacher. He mentioned how the instruction does not address the needs of

teachers that teach multiple classes and subjects. It only explains having a homework

and announcements page. It doesnt provide any instruction on how to format a site for

multiple classes or subjects. He suggested that more categories could be added for

each subject and that the navigation menu could then be modified. The SME also

brought up the fact that the instruction does not cover how to customize the websites

appearance using the dashboard. He suggested including a section in the studentinstructional guide to cover this topic. Next, mention was made of the fact that there was

no discussion on how to create pages and then assign them to a parent page, which

could be useful, but is not imperative when looking at the instructional goal. Along with

this, he also stated that review of how to create sub menus or drop-down menus may be

useful during the section on creating navigation menus. The SME felt that the overall

instruction was presented in a logical order and that information was also clear and

accurate. The student instructional guide was pointed out as being well executed

because of the screenshots that were included in it.

Part 7c. Comments on change

No changes have yet been made in the instructional design. However, based on the

SME feedback some changes will be made. In order to make the instruction appropriate

to a wider audience, some sections will be modified to accommodate secondary

teachers that teach more than one subject or class. This will require minor changes to

information about category creation and the creation of the navigation menu. These

changes should not be extensive and will not affect the current objectives of the
http://bit.ly/13lh71lhttp://bit.ly/13lh71lhttp://bit.ly/13lh71lhttp://bit.ly/13lh71l


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instructional design. Instead of being taught to create homework and announcements

categories, secondary teachers will be taught to create categories for each subject that

they teach that will function the same as the homework and announcement page would.

Another of the suggestions that will be addressed is the need for instruction on how to

customize a theme from the dashboard menu. This change should only require a small

additional section in the student instructional guide. A section will be created that givesdetailed instructions with screenshots, showing learners how to access the menus for

theme customization from the dashboard. Other suggestions made by the SME were

considered, but ultimately were deemed unnecessary when looking at the goal of the

design. The goal of the instruction only seeks to have three basic sections on the

website. The SME had suggested covering assigning parent pages, but this is a task

that is superfluous the aims of the design. The suggestion for sub menus in the

navigation menu was very interesting, but was also seen as extra content that did not

contribute in a meaningful way to design. With only three sections being created, drop-

down menus are not needed.

Part 8. AECT Standards GridProfessional Standards Addressed (AECT)

The following standards, developed by the Association for Educational Communications and

Technology (AECT), and used in the accreditation process established by the National Council

for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), are addressed to some degree in this course.

The numbers of the standards correspond to the numbers next to the course tasks show on the

list of assignments. Not all standards are addressed explicitly through student work.

Assignments meeting standard in whole or

part

Standard 1: DESIGN

1.1 Instructional Systems Design (ISD) X ID Project

1.1.1 Analyzing X ID Project; ID Case Analysis

1.1.2 Designing X ID Project

1.1.3 Developing X ID Project

1.1.4 Implementing X ID Project

1.1.5 Evaluating X Selected Discussion Forums; ID Project

1.2 Message Design

1.3 Instructional Strategies X ID Project

1.4 Learner Characteristics X ID Project


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Standard 2: DEVELOPMENT

2.0 (includes 2.0.1 to 2.0.8) X ID Project

2.1 Print Technologies X Reading Quiz; ID Project

2.2 Audiovisual Technologies

2.3 Computer-Based Technologies X (all assignments)

2.4 Integrated Technologies

Standard 3: UTILIZATION

3.0 (includes 3.0.1 & 3.0.2)

3.1 Media Utilization X (all assignments)

3.2 Diffusion of Innovations

3.3 Implementation and

Institutionalization

X ID Project

3.4 Policies and Regulations

Standard 4: MANAGEMENT

4.0 (includes 4.0.1 & 4.0.3)

4.1 Project Management

4.2 Resource Management

4.3 Delivery System Management

4.4 Information Management

Standard 5: EVALUATION

5.1 Problem Analysis X

5.2 Criterion-Referenced Measurement X ID Project


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5.3 Formative and Summative

Evaluation X

ID Project

5.4 Long-Range Planning

COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES

The overall goal for the course is for each student to consider and use thesystematic process of instructional design to create an instructional product.To achieve this goal, students will engage in activities that promote reflectivepractice, emphasize realistic contexts, and employ a number ofcommunications technologies. Following the course, students will be able to:

1. Discuss the historical development of the practice of instructionaldesign with regard to factors that led to its development and therationale for its use

2. Describe at least two reasons why instructional design models areuseful

3. Identify at least six instructional design models and classify themaccording to their use

4. Compare and contrast the major elements of three theories of learning

as they relate to instructional design

5. Define instructional design.

6. Define the word systematic as it relates to instructional design

7. Define learning and synthesize its definition with the practice ofinstructional design

8. Relate the design of instruction to the term educational (orinstructional) technology

9. Describe the major components of the instructional design process andthe functions of models in the design process

10. Provide a succinct summary of various learning contexts (declarativeknowledge, conceptual, declarative, principle, problem-solving,cognitive, attitudinal, and psychomotor)

11. Build an instructional design product that integrates major aspects ofthe systematic process and make this available on the web.


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a. Describe the rationale for and processes associated with needs,learner, context, goal, and task analyses

i. Create and conduct various aspects of a front-endanalysis

ii. Identify methods and materials for communicatingsubject matter that are contextually relevant

b. Describe the rationale for and processes associated withcreating design documents (objectives, motivation, etc.)

i. Construct clear instructional goals and objectives

ii. Develop a motivational design for a specific instructionaltask

iii. Develop assessments that accurately measureperformance objectives

c. Select and implement instructional strategies for selectedlearning tasks

i. Select appropriate media tools that support instructionaldesign decisions

d. Describe the rationale and processes associated with the

formative evaluation of instructional products

i. Create a plan for formative evaluation

12. Identify and use technology resources to enable and empowerlearners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

13. Apply state and national content standards to the development ofinstructional products

14. Meet selected professional standards developed by the Association forEducational Communications and Technology

15. Use various technological tools for instructional and professionalcommunication

AECT STANDARDS (Applicable to EDTECH 503)

1.0 Design


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1.1 Instructional Systems Design

1.1.a Utilize and implement design principles which specify optimal conditions for

learning.

1.1.b Identify a variety of instructional systems design models and apply at least one

model.

1.1.1 Analyzing

1.1.1.a Write appropriate objectives for specific content and outcome levels.

1.1.1.b Analyze instructional tasks, content, and context.

1.1.2 Designing

1.1.2.a Create a plan for a topic of a content area (e.g., a thematic unit, a text chapter,

an interdisciplinary unit) to demonstrate application of the principles of macro-level

design.

1.1.2.b Create instructional plans (micro-level design) that address the needs of all

learners, including appropriate accommodations for learners with special needs.1.1.2.d Incorporate contemporary instructional technology processes in the

development of interactive lessons that promote student learning.

1.1.3 Developing

1.1.3.a Produce instructional materials which require the use of multiple media (e.g.,

computers, video, projection).

1.1.3.b Demonstrate personal skill development with at least one: computer authoring

application, video tool, or electronic communication application.

1.1.4 Implementing

1.1.4.a Use instructional plans and materials which they have produced incontextualized instructional settings (e.g., practica, field experiences, training) that

address the needs of all learners, including appropriate accommodations for learners

with special needs.

1.1.5 Evaluating

1.1.5.a Utilize a variety of assessment measures to determine the adequacy of learning

and instruction.

1.1.5.b Demonstrate the use of formative and summative evaluation within practice and

contextualized field experiences.

1.1.5.c Demonstrate congruency among goals/objectives, instructional strategies, and

assessment measures.

1.3 Instructional Strategies

1.3.a Select instructional strategies appropriate for a variety of learner characteristics

and learning situations.

1.3.b Identify at least one instructional model and demonstrate appropriate

contextualized application within practice and field experiences.


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1.3.c Analyze their selection of instructional strategies and/or models as influenced by

the learning situation, nature of the specific content, and type of learner objective.

1.3.d Select motivational strategies appropriate for the target learners, task, and

learning situation.

1.4 Learner Characteristics

1.4.a Identify a broad range of observed and hypothetical learner characteristics for

their particular area(s) of preparation.

1.4.b Describe and/or document specific learner characteristics which influence the

selection of instructional strategies.

1.4.c Describe and/or document specific learner characteristics which influence the

implementation of instructional strategies.

2.0 Development

2.0.1 Select appropriate media to produce effective learning environments using

technology resources.

2.0.2 Use appropriate analog and digital productivity tools to develop instructional and

professional products.

2.0.3 Apply instructional design principles to select appropriate technological tools for

the development of instructional and professional products.

2.0.4 Apply appropriate learning and psychological theories to the selection of

appropriate technological tools and to the development of instructional and

professional products.

2.0.5 Apply appropriate evaluation strategies and techniques for assessing effectiveness

of instructional and professional products.

2.0.6 Use the results of evaluation methods and techniques to revise and updateinstructional and professional products.

2.0.7 Contribute to a professional portfolio by developing and selecting a variety of

productions for inclusion in the portfolio.

2.1 Print Technologies

2.1.3 Use presentation application software to produce presentations and

supplementary materials for instructional and professional purposes.

2.1.4 Produce instructional and professional products using various aspects of

integrated application programs.

2.3 Computer-Based Technologies

2.3.2 Design, produce, and use digital information with computer-based technologies.

3.0 Utilization

3.1 Media Utilization


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3.1.1 Identify key factors in selecting and using technologies appropriate for learning

situations specified in the instructional design process.

3.1.2 Use educational communications and instructional technology (SMETS) resources

in a variety of learning contexts.

3.3 Implementation and Institutionalization

3.3.1 Use appropriate instructional materials and strategies in various learning contexts.

3.3.2 Identify and apply techniques for integrating SMETS innovations in various learning

contexts.

3.3.3 Identify strategies to maintain use after initial adoption.

4.0 Management

(none specifically addressed in 503)

5.0 Evaluation

5.1 Problem Analysis

5.1.1 Identify and apply problem analysis skills in appropriate school media and

educational technology (SMET) contexts (e.g., conduct needs assessments, identify and

define problems, identify constraints, identify resources, define learner characteristics,

define goals and objectives in instructional systems design, media development and

utilization, program management, and evaluation).

5.2 Criterion-referenced Measurement

5.2.1 Develop and apply criterion-referenced measures in a variety of SMET contexts.

5.3 Formative and Summative Evaluation

5.3.1 Develop and apply formative and summative evaluation strategies in a variety of

SMET contexts.

SMET = School Media & Educational Technologies


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Appendix A. Student Instructional Guide

Student Instructional GuideGetting StartedTo get started on creating your own classroom website you will need to create a

user account for wordpress.com. If you already have one then you can skip down to

step 7.

1. Open your Internet browser and navigate to wordpress.com.

2. Click on the get started button.


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3. Enter the desired information on the next screen.

4. Click on create blog at the bottom of the screen.

5. Check your email and activate your account when you receive you email from

wordpress.com.

6. Click on the activate link in the email to activate your account.


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7. Click on my blogs at the top of the screen and then click on change

appearance option under the blog you created.

8. Choose a theme for you blog and click activate. (Note: premium themes

must be paid for.)

9. Click Customize.

Customizing Your Blogs Appearance1. After clicking on customize, a new screen will appear on the right-hand side

click on color.

2. Choose your text header color and background color from the dropdown

menus that appear.


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3. Click on site title and modify the blog title and tagline.

4. Click on save at the bottom of the screen.

5. Once you have saved, click your browsers back button.

Navigating to the Dashboard and Previewing Your Blog

1. After hitting the back button in your browser, you will be brought back to the

initial screen that lets you select which blog you want to work on. From this

initial screen, click on the blog that you want to work on. (Note: your blog

will have the name that you gave it when you created your wordpress


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account.)

2. Clicking on your blog will take you to your actual blog. To make changes to

your blog you will need to navigate to the dashboard. This is done by

hovering your cursor over the name of your blog located in the top left-hand

corner of your blog. When you do this, a drop-down menu will appear. The

first option to choose is Dashboard. Click on it.

3. The dashboard contains all the menus for editing your blog and is used

frequently for adding and organizing your blog contents. In order to return

to your blog and view changes that you have made, click on the name of your

blog in the top left-hand corner of the page. (Note: this is the same thing you

do to get to the dashboard, except you are clicking instead of hovering.)


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Creating, Editing, and Deleting Blog Pages

Pages are used to display static information on a blog. Static information is

information that doesnt change. Pages are different than posts and you would not

use pages for information that changes frequently.

Creating and Editing Pages

1. Navigate to the dashboard.

2. Navigate to the pages menu on the left-hand side of the screen and click.


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3. To add a new page, there are two options. You can click on add new at the

top of the page or in side menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

4. This will take you to an editing screen. Enter a page title and then type in the

page content into the main content area.

Enter you page text

in this area.


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5. At the bottom of the page there are options for liking your blog page on

Facebook and sharing your page using various web services. If you dont

want to do these things, uncheck the option boxes at the bottom of the

screen.

6. Finally, publish the new page to your blog by clicking on the publish button

on the right-hand side of the screen. If dont want to publish yet then youcan


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click on save draft and then go back and publish later.

7. To edit an existing page navigate to the page menu in the dashboard and

8. Locate the page you want to edit, hover your cursor over it and a menu will

appear with an edit option. Click edit and it will take you to the editing

screen.

Deleting Pages

9. To delete a page from your blog, click on the pages menu in the dashboard.

This will take you to a list of all the pages in your blog.

10.Locate the page you want to delete and click on the box next to the title of the

page. Then click on trash button that appears below the page title.


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11.To delete more than one page at a time click on the box next to the page titles

and then go down to the bulk actions and select move to trash.

Creating, Editing, and Deleting Posts

Posts are quick stand-alone pieces of information that are added frequently to blogs

to share new information. Posts can be sorted and categorized by their content.

Unlike pages, posts are not static and are frequently added, changed, and removed

from blogs.

Creating Posts

1. Navigate to the dashboard.


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2. Navigate to the posts menu on the left-hand side of the screen and click.

3. To create a new post, you can click on add new at the top of the screen or

on the left-hand side in the posts menu.


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4. This will take you to a new screen. Add a title in the title bar and then add

whatever text you wish for the post in the main content box.

5. Posts give you an option of liking posts on Facebook and sharing posts

using other social media sites. If you wish to disable these features, you need

to uncheck the boxes next to Show likes and Show sharing buttons at the

bottom of the screen.

6. Posts also allow you to categorize them by their content. To create or assign

a category to a post, you use a menu on the right-hand side of the screen

Add Title Here

Add text of the post in this

box.


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called categories. If you already have categories created, they will show up

in this menu, but if you dont, you will need to create them. Click on Add

New Category to create a category. (Note: it is VERY important to assign a

category of homework or announcement to posts or they will not appear on

the correct page of your site or they wont appear on your site at all.)

7. Type in the name of the category you wish to create in the box that appears.

Then click Add New Category button to add another if you wish.

8. To select a category for a post click in the box next to the category you want

to assign to that post and a check mark will appear.


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9. Finally, click on the publish button to finish your post and put it on your

blog. If you wish to save it without publishing so you can work on it later,

you can click on save draft. Publishing will show you a preview of the post

on your blog. Click on the name of your site in the top left-hand corner of the

screen to go to your actual blog.

Editing Posts

1. To edit a post, navigate to the dashboard and select the posts menu.

2. This will give you a list of all the posts on your blog site. Locate the post you

wish to edit and hover your mouse over its title.

3. A menu will appear when the mouse hovers. Click on edit. This will take

you back to the same screen you had when you created the post and you can


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edit whatever you need to edit.

Deleting Pages

1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the posts menu.

2. A list of all the posts on the blog will appear. Let your mouse hover over the

title of the post that you wish to delete.


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3. A menu will appear. Click on trash to delete the post.

4. To delete more than one post at a time, click on the check box next to the title

of each post that you wish to delete. Then click on the Bulk Actions drop-


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down menu. Click on Move to trash.

Adding Pictures to Pages or Posts

1. Navigate to the dashboard and then choose the posts or pages menu. It

depends on where you want to add a picture.

2. In the list of pages or posts, locate the title of the page or post to which you

wish to add the picture. Let your mouse hover over it and a menu will


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appear. Click on edit.

3. This will take you to the editing page for posts or pages. Add a picture is the

same for both pages and posts so these steps can be used for both. Click on

the Add Media button.


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4. This will take you to a insert media page that shows all pictures and media

that you have placed on your blog. Click on upload files to add pictures

from your computer to your blog.

5. Then click on select files to browse files on your computer.

6. Locate the photo you wish to upload on your computer. (Note: there is a 1GB

file size maximum.)


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7. Once the photo is uploaded it will appear in the insert media page. Click on

it and a menu will appear on the right-hand side of the screen.

8. You can give the photo a title, caption, and description. You can also choose

the alignment and size of the photo in the page or post.


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9. Finally click insert into page at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

10.The photo will now appear in your page/post editing page. Click on update

to re-publish the page/post with the new photo.

Adding and Removing Widgets

Widgets are pre-made tools or features that you can add to your blog. Think of them

as accessories, they can be used to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of your

blog. Wordpress.com provides a number of widgets. Some you may find useful,

other not as much. Be selective and dont use to many or it may clutter your blog.


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1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the appearance menu. Once clicked

a number of sub menus will appear below appearance. Click on widgets.

2. Clicking on widgets menu will take you to a page with a large list of

widgets. A short description is given for each widget. On the right-hand side

of the screen is the sidebar. Locate widgets you want to include in your

blog and click and drag them into the sidebar. (Note: the sidebar will have a

few widgets that have been selected by default depending on the theme you

have chosen for your website.)


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3. If you wish to remove a widget from your sidebar, click on the widget

4. Next, click on the delete button that appears.

5. Some widgets may require you to enter some information. Click on the

widget in the sidebar and enter any information that is needed. Click save.

6. Return to your blog to view what these widgets look like in your blog.


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Constructing a Navigation Menu

A navigation menu allows you to move from page to page in your blog. If a

navigation menu is not created correctly, you will not be able to access posts or

pages. A navigation menu also gives your blog a custom and personal feel. For our

purposes we are going to be creating a navigation menu that includes a homepage,

homework page, and an announcements page.

1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the appearance menu. Then click

on the menus sub menu.

2. Clicking on menus will take you to the edit menus screen. Click on create

a new menu at the top of the page.


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3. Give your new menu a name and click create menu.

4. Next, click on the checkbox next to the pages that you want to include in your

navigation menu and click add to menu. (Note: pages not included in the

navigation may not be accessible on your blog, unless other options that we

wont cover are changed.)

5. After adding pages to your menu, you will need to add categories to your

menu. This will let you view all posts assigned to that category on one page

in your blog. It will also create a navigation link to that category. Click on

categories in the editmenus page. (Note: it is important that you include

both the homework and announcement categories in your navigation menu

or you will not be able to see posts assigned to that category.)


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6. Click the checkboxes next to the categories you want to include in your

navigation menu and click add to menu button.

7. After you have added your pages and categories to your menu, click and drag

them into the order you want.

8. You need to set this new menu as the primary menu for your blog or it will

not appear on your actual blog. To do this click on the check box next to


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primary menu.

9. Next, click on save menu in the bottom right-hand corner.

10.Return to your blog to check and see if your navigation menu appears the

way it should.

Setting Your Homepage

Just because you create a page in your blog and name it homepage, does not

necessarily mean that it is your homepage. A homepage must be designated in one

of the dashboard menus. By default, wordpress.com creates a posts page that acts

as a homepage. All posts put on the blog appear on this page, they arent separated

by category or anything. If you wish to have a static homepage that visitors are

directed to when they visitor your blog, then you must alter some settings on your


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blog. For the purposes of a classroom website, it is recommended that you set a

static homepage for your blog.

1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the settings menu. Then click on

the reading sub menu.

2. Near the top of the reading settings page you will be given options for

Front page displays. Click the small circle next to A static page.


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3. Next, you need to choose the page of your blog that will be the Front page

or homepage from the drop-down menu.

4. It also offers an option to choose a page for all posts to be displayed on. You

may leave this option unselected. You have already created category pages

in your navigation menu that will take you to all the posts that you create. If

you like you may set the post page as the same as your front page. All posts

will then display on the front page.

5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click save changes.

More Advanced Tutorials and Helps

If you ever get stuck, wordpress.com provides great helps and tutorials for working

in wordpress.com. There is a link to these tutorials and walkthroughs located at the

very bottom of every page in the dashboard. Just click on the link and you can get

help with many different issues that you may encounter.


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Works CitedSmith, P. L., & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional Design(3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &

Sons, Inc.

Documents

Final ID Project