Putting People First: Human Issues in Instructional Technology
1st Edition, 2009
By Anastasia Marie Trekles
From the Preface:
"Simply put, this book is about people, and how they learn, work, and interact in today's rapidly changing, technologically supercharged society. Of course, we all know that people have been learning to get along with computers, the Internet, and other technologies for many decades; and for the most part, we adapt to necessary changes in the way we do things because we realize that technology has many positive qualities. That realization might not always happen right away, but it does catch up eventually - usually just in time for something newer to come along and take its place.
Hence, there is a constant issue looming over every student, teacher, worker, manager, and administrator. How do we ensure that technology is accessible to everyone? How do we ensure that the task at hand is accomplished in the most efficient way possible, without compromising large amounts of time and money in training sessions and "adjustment periods"? How do we ensure that the people in our organizations enjoy all of the benefits of technology without misusing or abusing it?
In general, we often consider only the positive attributes that computers and Internet technologies have in our workplaces and classrooms. Computers allow us to do things faster, better, smarter, and cheaper - but is there a negative side as well? Do we have to worry about how people might misuse technology? How much should we worry? What happens when we encounter a student or an employee who faces difficulty with new technology implementations because he or she has a disability, or because he or she simply finds adaptation more difficult?
These are questions that millions of instructional designers, computer lab managers, technology coordinators, teachers, and trainers face every day. Sometimes answers are in easy reach; but sometimes those answers are not nearly so easy to find or implement. And oftentimes, people in instructional or technology administration roles are trained to believe that there is a single right and wrong answer for any given circumstance (Lidtke, 2006). An application works or it doesn't, a user can open a file or she cannot, and there is always a specific reason behind the problem that can be addressed through the proper training strategy. But as many who have spent time in support, teaching, training, or other jobs where interaction with people and technology is a daily affair can tell you, the sticking point behind many a situation does not just lie with one single culprit, nor are solutions always permanent or universally applicable. Age, background, gender, education, and personal limitations all can have an impact on how a person reacts to or interacts with technology in the classroom or the workplace, but there is rarely any single "best" or "correct" way to address each unique need when designing learning opportunities or managing technology-enabled environments. Thus, this book is not meant to be prescriptive, but instead is meant to provide you with the foundational knowledge and insights necessary to help you create and adapt solutions that better meet the needs of the diverse learners you may encounter, regardless of industry or specific instructional design process."
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