Week 8 Reflection - How does ID apply to education

The second part of our assignment was to look at the world of Instructional Design/Technology in business and industry and see how some of those ideas could apply to our line of work.
Instructional Design/Technology has some ideas that are also useful in the education world. One idea that the two share is the benefit of interacting with other professionals formally and informally. As a student teacher, I remember being told “teachers steal”. I remember being told that a great way to find new ideas is by stealing ideas from others. Teachers can discuss ideas in person with co-workers as well as learn new ideas and resources on the Internet from the many useful teaching websites.
Another idea that the two professions share (ID and education), is the idea of being sensitive to different cultures and backgrounds. This is absolutely necessary in the classroom. As a teacher, you must know what you’re working with; you must understand your students. One way to do that is to understand their ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, family life, and life experiences. Our students come from all different backgrounds and just as it is for IDs, it’s important for teachers to be sensitive to those backgrounds. When teaching about different topics we need to be aware of our clientele. We need to make sure that we teach the truth without offending or insulting any of the backgrounds. Furthermore, teachers must understand their students’ culture in order to form better relationships with them. A good teacher-student relationship is arguably one of the most important parts of creating a well-managed and inviting classroom.
The last idea ID has that I think would be useful in the education world is the idea of Web-based training. I think if more training were provided virtually, many teachers would be willing to get involved. This type of training would open many opportunities for teachers. I know for myself, I will stay away from training if it means I will have to give up a day in my classroom or travel a long distance. Virtual PD would help both of these issues.