“Item 1 In the case below, the original source material is given…

Use of mainstream games in schools remains rare, and is unlikely to be integrated into the curriculum. Reasons for this include:

• it is difficult for teachers to identify quickly how a particular game is relevant to some component of the statutory curriculum, as well as the accuracy and appropriateness of the content within the game
• the difficulty in persuading other school stakeholders as to the potential/actual educational benefits of computer games
• the lack of time available to teachers to familiarize themselves with the game, and methods of producing the best results from its use
• the amount of irrelevant content or functionality in a game which could not be removed or ignored, thus wasting valuable lesson time.

References:
Kirriemuir, J., & McFarlane, A. (2004). Literature review in games and learning: A report forNESTA Futurelab. Retrieved from http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/19/04/53/PDF/kirriemuir-j-2004-r8.pdf

Kirriemuir and McFarlane (2004) reported that the use of mainstream games in K-12 education is and will probably remain rare for several reasons. Evaluating a game’s relevance to curriculum and accuracy of content is difficult and time-consuming. They further assert that a mainstream game which is applicable to curriculum standards will likely include irrelevant content. Finally, most teachers are not familiar with methods for using mainstream games in instruction.

References:
Kirriemuir, J., & McFarlane, A. (2004). Literature review in games and learning: A report forNESTA Futurelab. Retrieved from http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/19/04/53/PDF/kirriemuir-j-2004-r8.pdf

While solitary negative reactions or unjustified suggestions for change have the potential to dissipate discourse rather than build it, the pattern analysis shows that the anonymous condition seemed to provide a safe explorative space for learners to try out more reasons for their multiple solutions. Teachers will rarely give anonymous feedback, but the experience of giving anonymous feedback may open a social space where learners can try out the reasons for their suggestions.

References:
Howard, C. D., Barrett, A. F., & Frick, T. W. (2010). Anonymity to promote peer feedback: Pre-service teachers’ comments in asynchronous computer-mediated communication. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 43(1), 89-112.

Teachers don’t often provide feedback anonymously, but the ability to provide feedback anonymously may create a context where the rationale associated with specific suggestions can be more safely explored (Howard, Barrett, & Frick, 2010). However, we cannot assume that all anonymous online spaces will serve as safe social spaces.

A teacher is one who guides or leads. To guide does not necessarily mean to instruct directly. We often think of teaching as direct instruction (presenting information, asking questions, giving feedback, demonstrating some procedure, evaluating student progress, and so on). But a teacher can guide without instructing directly. A good example is the Montessori system of education. In a Montessori school, most of what a child learns is through interacting with a variety of curriculum materials in a particular context. A Montessori teacher does much less direct instruction than do teachers in traditional schools.

References:
Frick, T. (1991). Restructuring education through technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

But what are reasonable outcomes of the influence of global processes on education? While the question of how global processes influence all aspects of education (and who controls these forces) is multidimensional and not completely testable, there appear to be some theories of globalization as it relates to education that can be empirically examined.

References:
Rutkowski, L., & Rutkowski, D. (2009). Trends in TIMSS responses over time: Evidence of global forces in education? Educational Research and Evaluation, 15(2), 137-152.

The authors are not alone in asking “what are reasonable outcomes of the influence of global processes on education?” (p. 138). In fact, this same question provides the basis for the discussion that follows.

In examining the history of the visionary companies, we were struck by how often they made some of their best moves not by detailed strategic planning, but rather by experimentation, trial and error, opportunism, and–quite literally–accident. What looks in hindsight like a brilliant strategy was often the residual result of opportunistic experimentation and “purposeful accidents.”

References:
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2002). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

The variety of projects that Google undertakes, from Internet search to cars that drive themselves, could be considered lack of focus. However, perhaps Google recognizes that successful moves that looked like the result of “a brilliant strategy was often the residual result of opportunistic experimentation” (Collins & Porras, 2002, p. 141).

References:
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2002). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

Merck, in fact, epitomizes the ideological nature–the pragmatic idealism–of highly visionary companies. Our research showed that a fundamental element in the “ticking clock” of a visionary company is a core ideology–core values and a sense of purpose beyond just making money–that guides and inspires people throughout the organization and remains relatively fixed for long periods of time.

References:
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2002). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

Several factors can contribute to long-term organizational success. One is the establishment of a core ideology that Collins and Porras (2002) describe as “core values and sense of purpose beyond just making money” (p. 48). Also, the importance of a visionary leader that guides and inspires people throughout the organization and remains relatively fixed for long periods of time is hard to over emphasize.

References:
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2002). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

In a complex task such as creating a website for learning, instructors may want to support the generation of multiple solutions in learners’ peer feedback. Anonymity may create a social context where learners feel freer to express varied ideas, and make the task of giving feedback less inhibited. However, teachers need to know just how anonymity impacts the learning dynamic in order to make informed choices about when anonymous configurations are appropriate in peer feedback.

References:
Howard, C. D., Barrett, A. F., & Frick, T. W. (2010). Anonymity to promote peer feedback: Pre-service teachers’ comments in asynchronous computer-mediated communication. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 43(1), 89-112.

According to Howard, Barrett, and Frick (2010), in order to make appropriate choices educators must understand the ways in which hiding or showing the identity of participants can impact the interaction that takes place in peer feedback activities. Obscuring the identity of participants in peer feedback “may create a social context where learners feel freer to express varied ideas, and make the task of giving feedback less inhibited” (p. 90).

References:
Howard, C. D., Barrett, A. F., & Frick, T. W. (2010). Anonymity to promote peer feedback: Pre-service teachers’ comments in asynchronous computer-mediated communication. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 43(1), 89-112.

Memory is given a prominent role in the learning process. Learning results when information is stored in memory in an organized, meaningful manner. Teachers/designers are responsible for assisting learners in organizing that information in some optimal way. Designers use techniques such as advance organizers, analogies, hierarchical relationships, and matrices to help learners relate new information to prior knowledge. Forgetting is the inability to retrieve information from memory because of interference, memory loss, or missing or inadequate cues needed to access information.

References:
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-71.

Memory takes an important role in the process of learning. Learning occurs when information is integrated into student memory in a structured and meaningful way. Teachers can help students learn by arranging that information in useful ways. Advance organizers could be used to assist learners to connect existing knowledge to new knowledge.

References:
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-71.

A communication channel is the means by which messages get from one individual to another. The nature of the information-exchange relationship between a pair of individuals determines the conditions under which a source will or will not transmit the innovation to the receiver and the effect of such a transfer.

References:
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Rogers places great importance on the sharing of information about an innovation. He defines a communication channel as “the means by which messages get from one individual to another” (p. 18). He describes two general media channels of communication: mass media and interpersonal; and two scopes of channels: localite and cosmopolite.

References:
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Major changes within organizations are usually initiated by those who are in power. Such decision-makers sponsor the change and then appoint someone else – perhaps the director of training – to be responsible for implementing and managing change. Whether the appointed change agent is in training development or not, there is often the implicit assumption that training will “solve the problem.” And, indeed, training may solve part of the problem….  The result is that potentially effective innovations suffer misuse, or even no use, in the hands of uncommitted users.

References:
Dormant, D. (1986). The ABCDs of managing change. In Introduction to Performance Technology (p. 238-256). Washington, D.C.: National Society of Performance and Instruction.

When major changes are initiated in organizations, there is often the implicit assumption that training will ‘solve the problem.’  And, indeed, training may solve part of the problem (Dormant, 1986, p. 238).

References:
Dormant, D. (1986). The ABCDs of managing change. In Introduction to Performance Technology (p. 238-256). Washington, D.C.: National Society of Performance and Instruction.