Blog #7

Section 7 (8 in 3rd ed) New Directions in Instructional Design and Technology

This section of the textbook addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. For your final post, reflect on how you might apply each of the following in your current or future position in the IDT field:

1. distributed or e-learning environments
2. reusable design or learning objects
3. rich media
4. emerging instructional technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.

E Learning is something that my students, teachers and I are all currently working on.  I have showed the teachers many different resources that allow the students to complete projects/assignments in their class using web technologies and a variety of multimedia resources.  One example of of using e learning would be when I had 5th grade students complete a glogster about a math concept that they had learned in their classrooms.  They were all able to complete these projects online using a variety of graphics, videos, clips, text and more.

When I discussed in earlier blogs the importance of having expert teachers and creating groups to come up with strategies and skills to help other teachers create lessons and ideas, this is where reusable design could come into play.  Over the years several teachers have taught a lesson in several different ways.  Reusable design is a way for those instructors to share with the other teachers the best ideas and have the staff reuse their ideas and resources.  Many of the grade levels have to teach the same type of objectives with some variations, this would give those teachers a chance to work together to create a type of template that each one of them could reuse, but with some variations of their own to fit their needs.

I have already been using rich media to help students create projects.  Last year I had 3rd grade students complete a book review on a favorite book that they read that year.  They were able to use animoto, which uses music, photos and text to create a 30 second video clip of their favorite book.  They then were able to show it to other classes so they could decide which book they wanted to read.

One of the emerging technologies that I would love to use are simulation software programs.  I want to be able to have students work in many different subject areas with tools,resources, and environments that they do not have consistent access to.  For example, many of our students at our campus are part of a low socioeconomic group.  therefore most of the time they do not have access to going to different areas of the world, learning about new cultures, seeing things that are not right outside their front door.  If we had simulations at our school we could have the children complete activities with tools resources they have never seen or might never see otherwise.

Blog #6

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

I am currently a media specialist in the Dallas Independent School District.  This is my second year in the library and I am finishing up my degree in Library Science.  Before I began working in the library I was a teacher in several different grade levels in the district.  I have a reading specialization and just always loved the idea of becoming a librarian and helping children with not only how to read, but loving to read.  When I graduate in May I plan to continue to be in the library, and preferably stay in an elementary library.

I currently am a First Level of service employee.  When deciding where I wanted to go with my degree I have always thought of myself remaining in the library.  I enjoy working directly with children and teaching them the strategies and skills that they will need to become successful students.  I enjoyed that aspect of my job when I was teaching and still enjoy that section of my job.  I have no desire to train others or design instruction.  I enjoy working directly with students to see what strategies work, rather than working with adults about strategies (who are not around children on an everyday basis).  I enjoy being in charge of my space and working with teachers and students teaching them about new resources that they can use to further student success.  Another feature that has become very important to me is improving the school by programs that we are implementing, such as Accelerated Reader, reading programs, parent programs, etc.  All of these things I have either been in charge of or take a very strong role in and the school has become a better environment because of these things.

The most important thing that I have realized that I need to learn are new technologies and resources.  Not only do I need to know about them, but I need to be able to explain them to teachers and staff and show them how to effectively use them in their classrooms.  The program that I am a part of has taught me many of these things.  They have not only told me of resources that are available, but I have had to use them in my classes which has enabled me to become a better learner.  They have showed me meaningful ways to use these resources and I have been able to go to the teachers and staff and show them how they could use these same resources and where they might be able to find resources similar to the ones I have taught them.

One of the organizations that I think would help me would be Association for Applied Interactive Multimedia.  I have explained that I have taught teachers about different technology resources that they can use in their classroom, this is one of the areas that I continue to work on with the staff.  We have looked at resources (web based and others) that will allow the children to create projects using multimedia.  If I joined this organization I would be able to keep up with the latest resources and bring that information back to my campus.  Another organization that I would benefit from is SALT or Society of Applied Learning Technology.  Again I think this organization would help me continue my learning in  multimedia and interactive instructional materials.  I noticed that they also discuss performance support systems at their conferences.  This would be an area that I would like to learn more about not only so I could discuss with my teachers how we could be a better support system for each other, but to also help me improve on ways that I can support the teachers and staff of my campus.

 

Blog #5

Section 5:


I am working in a P-12 environment currently.  I have been a part of this setting for the last 11 years. 

One thing that I learned about in the Corporate setting was that they have 3 types of roles when it comes to instructional design.  Sole designer, designer as a consultant and team member/leader.  The latter one is the one that interests me the most.  In a previous post I discussed that one of the problems on my current campus is that sometimes it would be better for those teachers who are "experts" at a particular subject, topic or idea should be able to lead a team to discuss that particular subject matter.  If it always comes the principal I believe that much of the time the teachers will not have the "buy in" that the principals wanted.  If it comes from a colleague that the staff respects then they might be more willing to listen.  I like the idea of creating teams for projects.  The book states, " the number of instructional designers can vary from one to several."  I think with that said our school could have many different projects going on and many different team leaders/team members determined by their special skills.

When reading the Military section there was a particular statement that stood out to me, that I believe needs to be ingrained into the staff of all schools.  The books states, "  The global corporate world thrives on international partnerships.  Designers must recognize the cultural diversity of the clients and select training or learning solutions that can accommodate dissimilar audiences."  In another section of this chapter they discuss alternative training solutions.  It discusses the importance of looking at your audience and deciding what is the best way to design instruction for those audience members.  This same concept could definitely be put into place at my campus.  We have several different cultures that need to be thought of when planning a lesson.  Teachers many times have an idea of how they are going to teach a lesson and much of the time it is difficult to do because of the different backgrounds of the students.  It is not only important for our campus to keep this in mind, but all schools.  There are many families that have come from another country where they might not have the resources that we have or we were brought up with, so teachers need to keep this in mind when planning lessons.

Health care is the next chapter discussed in this section.  One of the ideas that they discuss is that of Problem-Based Learning.  This occurs when students are able to learn by actually working with different cases.  One statement that I thought was interesting is, "PBL students tent to integrate, retain, and transfer information better and that they have superior self-directed learning skill."  This is something that would be very useful to the students that I work with.  This is a continuous problem with the students on my campus that they can not retain information and use information learned in a variety of settings.  If our campus were to adhere to this type of problem solving then there might be a better chance for student success.  Teachers could allow children to work out problems that have meaning to them.  For example in Science when discussing habitats, taking them to different areas in/around the school to review these habitats that they see on an everyday basis and work out problems using real world environments in their community. 

Because I work in a P-12 setting most of this chapter I could identify as strategies that my district try to put in place.  On the other hand there was a section of the chapter - Chugach School District - that discussed a way that they put an improvement plan into place.  They work on 4 different phases, design, delivery, refinement and continuous improvement.  This improvement plan had several different parts to put in place from standards to an instructional model for students to assessment tools.  The refinement phase is the section that caught my attention most.  The reason that this area stood out so much to me is because I can see that my district does try some of these ideas, except the refinement phase.  Every year the district comes up with a new idea that they want to implement in schools, policies, procedures, standards, instructional models and so on.  The only problem with that is when you get to the refinement phase this is where you look at what you have implemented and tweak it to make sure that it works.  Unfortunately when my district finds out an idea is not working they take it away and implement a whole new plan.  Which takes more training, and time.  It also provides instability for students and frustration on teachers.  If my district were to look at what the Chugach has done and their phases the students and teachers might have more success.

In one section of the Higher Education Chapter they discuss a model called the Generator Model.  First the ID will work with subject matter experts to discuss the learning and how it is to be taught.  Next, they will continue to work together and come up with a sample of the course and the ID provides feedback about the sample that has been provided.  They will as a group agree upon what changes need to be made and then they will go into their final phase of implementation.  This again is an idea that I think we would benefit from especially the part of having a leader with "experts" in a subject matter.  Unfortunately in my case this is usually the principal and I do not believe that one person is an expert on every subject matter.  For example my principal is an expert on the subject matter of reading.  So in this case she would be our Instructional designer along with other teachers who are "experts" in reading.  I do not believe that they same person (my principal) would be the ID for a math project or Science lessons.  Teachers need to work together and have people lead them where they excel most. 

In the last section I reviewed, World at Large, the section about appropriate technologies related to what I see day in and day out on my campus.  There are so many different technological resources that the teachers are privileged to that they do not use.  Nevertheless they will come to me and others complaining that they need the new and improved models, or a different resource that yet does the same things that they have access to.  I think it is important that we provide technology resources to our teachers and students that they will be able to use not only in the classroom, but at home.  I believe that they need to master what they have before they begin asking for new things that they don't necessarily need.

Blog #4

Section 4: Human Performance Technology

I would say that one of the problems that we are currently facing on our campus is that much of the staff are suffering from low morale.  There are many new programs that are being put into place this year and the teachers are being stretched very thin.  There are asked to work longer hours, find extra time for tutoring, meeting, lesson plans, grading, etc.  With all of the new pressures that have been put onto the teachers and staff, you are starting to see some push back in certain areas.  Teachers are having a diffucult time finding the time to complete all aspects of their job. When reading on performance improvement I was thinking that one of the best models to use was Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model.  With the use of this model the principal would be able to set Environmental incentives that would motivate teachers or give out consequences for non performance.  I believe that if the teachers were given some sort of outside motivation for all of the work that they put in that it might raise morale.  Right now the teachers are told 100 different things to do, when to do it, how to do it and a deadline to do it.  If the teachers were given some sort of incentive it might help with overall motivation.  It would also let the teachers know that they are appreciated for all of the work that they do with the students in and out of school time.  Teachers are required to put in alot of time during the day, after work and on weekends.  So the appreciation of incentives would make all of the extra work a little easier.

A performance support system allows workers to have access to the tools and information they need to complete their jobs succesfully.  One of the main aspects of the performance support system is to allow workers to more effectively complete their tasks.  With this system it gives workers all the support that they need as related to information , tools, resources, and information.  With all of these support systems in place the worker is given the opportunity to complete their job in the most effective and timely manner while also providing resources and help so that it may help with the training of non experienced and experienced personnel.  I do believe that a performace support system might help with some of the morale problems that exist in our school.  If there was a better way to put a system in place where teachers could more effectively complete some of the tasks at hand it might boost motivation and morale.  One of the things that the text discusses is the use of customized tools such as templates and forms.  Something along these lines might make some of the long time consuming tasks for teachers a little easier.  One final thing that might help my specific school are the coaching tools.  Part of the appeal to this type of system is that there would be someone there to hlep with the inexperienced workers.  This is part of the problem at our campus not only because there are several new teachers who are struggling, but because of this it puts extra pressure on the other teachers to help them, which just  adds more to their work load.

I would say that the knowledge needed to help with the problem I have listed above would be Tacit and Explicit knowledge.  In order to aquire the Tacit knowledge you would need to have continous meeting with grade levels (with and without the principal present).  In these meeting the teachers would be able to speak freely about how they foster student success and how they could work together to keep their morale up.  They could work on strategies that work for them not only for their students, but also for themselves.  This is also where the Explicit knowledge will come into play.  The Explicit knowledge that we will need are programs that will help with the efficiency of completing the programs.  There are training programs that might be able to help with such programs such as Accelerated Reader, Vocabulary in a Flash, IStation, and many other programs.  The teachers could also be a support system for eachother when working on such things as lesson plans, grading, procedures, timing of day, etc.  When working on activities as this the teachers will be able to use Tacit and Explicit knowledge to help complete tasks to help with the problem solving. 



"Socialization (tacit to tacit) is the process of learning by sharing experiences that creates tacit knowledge as shared mental models and professional skills (e.g. apprentices learning process, or expert consensus achievement during medical meetings). " 

This is the part of the process that will help our campus quite a bit.  The teachers need to be able to share the knowledge of their experience with some of the less experienced teachers.

Informal Learning is where much of my knowledge is gained.  I have participated in many informal conversations with teachers that help with many problems, questions, or concerns that I have had.  There will be times where I have conversations with teachers who quickly come into the library to discuss a problem that they may be having with an individual student.  They ask for generalized help with books, activities or lessons that may help the student.  Much of the time those conversations will turn into a 45 minute discussion of a variety of modifications that could help the teachers, myself and many other teachers that I have spoken with on other occasions.  Because of this I will then take the new strategies and skills that I have learned and share them with other teachers that it could benefit.  I do believe that there is a way to share that knowledge with many people in a managed situation, such as a staff meeting.  I think that in this way each teacher could take away little parts of the strategies discussed and see what might be helpful to them.  I think that there is not always a reason to manage informal learning, because sometimes the topic that might be discussed with some would not be valuable to all.  In this case it might be better to set up "expert teachers"  where those are the people to go to, to discuss specific topics.  Then when teachers get together to discuss problems/solutions then they can manage their own informal learning situations.

Blog #3



The first model that I looked at was the ADDIE evaluation model.  There are five parts to this model.  The first is Analysis,  this is where the goals and objectives are set.  In this phase all the "what to do's" are written down.  Next is Design, this is where the plans are put into order.  This is where the objectives need to be in place in a sequence,  and a strategy needs to be developed about how to carry out the procedures/plans.  Development is the next section.  In this phase the designers create and develop the project using a variety of tools.  The Implementation phase is where all facets of the program is put into place and tested.  Also at this stage the facilitators are given their instructions and training.  Lastly, is the Evaluation phase.  In this section there are two evaluations taking place, formative and summative. The formative evaluations are taking place throughout the entire model, but the summative evaluation takes places at the end to make sure that each one of the objectives or goals have been met.

The other model that I reviewed was Merrill's First Principles of Instruction.  There are four parts to this design that is centered around problem solving learning.  They are:

1.  Activation of Prior Knowledge

2.  Demonstration of Skills

3.  Application of Skills

4.  Integration of Skills

This theory states specific principals:

Learning is facilitated when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems.
Learning is facilitated when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge.
Learning is facilitated when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner.
Learning is facilitated when new knowledge is applied by the learner
Learning is facilitated when new knowledge is integrated into the learner's world.

Problem:  Merrill states that in order for students to obtain and become successful and complex problems they must first trying and successfully completing a simple problem.  When this happens the teacher/facilitator will then be able to build on those skills acquired so that the students will be able to accomplish completing more challenging problems. He also states that all problems should relate to the real world, and be relevant to the student.

Activation:  Merrill states in the principals that prior knowledge has to be activated in order for true learning to occur.  If prior knowledge is activated then it holds relevance that will sustain and expand new learning

Demonstration:  Merrill states that in order for true learning to occur then the facilitator must demonstrate the new information/knowledge that is to be gained, it is not to be shown or just explained.  He also discusses how it is important to make sure that the information is provided in a variety of ways, using media and other outlets.  It is also important to make sure that the demonstration is consistent with the goals.

Application:  Merrill states the importance of giving several opportunities for the learner to engage in different ways of solving the problem.  We would not expect someone to master a skill without several chances to practice and the same thought process needs to be addressed in the classroom.  Another important principal is to make sure that the teacher is there throughout the process to facilitate and guide the learner providing consistent feedback.  Above all else make sure that the learner is using the new knowledge or skills to solve the current problems, which align with student objectives/goals.

Integration:  Merrill states that in order for learning to truly occur the learner must be able to integrate their new knowledge or skill into their everyday life, this is how learning continues and is embedded.  They must find a way to demonstrate and and reflect upon their new found knowledge and skills. If there is a connection with new skills and everyday life then the knowledge will be sustained. 



I have and would use both of these models in my classroom to evaluate a project.  In the past I used these methods not even knowing what exactly they were, but I did follow the steps.  For example, when kids would work on an assignment we would look at the problem or what our goals were and set up our goals and objectives for that lesson (Problem/ Analysis).  We would then plan out how we were going to get to our end result.  We would put things in order and discuss the sequence of how we were going to solve that problem (Design).  During our discussion of activities I usually would try to activate prior knowledge.  I was always taught to have the students make connections in order for the learning to have meaning. (Activation). I would then model for the students what i wanted them to do.  We would walk through the process together to make sure that had complete understanding before they attempted the problem/project on their own (Demonstration). Next, the students would begin creating their projects or working on whatever new skill was being taught (Application, Development and Implementation).  After the project was done I would review using a summative assessment along with my observations and records of how the project went (Evaluation).  The integration section is where I usually fell short.  If I was to go back and use this model now I would have the students go home and use the skill or knowledge that they gained and then come back to the group to reflect on what was learned (Integration).


Reflect on what other questions that instructional design evaluation should address besides whether the instructional design leads to comparable amounts of learning and learner satisfaction as traditional methods. What else would be useful to know?

I would want to know if the goals and objectives were met and how specifically they were met?

Was the activity grade appropriate?

Did the goals and objectives meet the State Standards for that subject and grade?

Did the activity provide for a valuable learning experience?

How are the learners going to be able to use this new knowledge or skills in everyday life?

What were the positive and negative aspects of the lesson and how could the lesson be improved?

How will the students interact with each other, if at all, for the lesson?  Groups, Individuals, or Partners

Chapter's 12 & 13 focus on project management and how to manage projects when resources are scarce. You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers during a time of economic decline. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project and manage scarce resources?

This is a problem that I currently face.  I have tried to show the teachers on several occasions on how to use new technology that is either inexpensive or free.  I have showed them resources that we currently have and it is quite a challenge to get them to participate.  It is very hard for me to get new resources because of the very slim resources.  There are 4 phases in Situational Leadership:

1.  The first part of the phase is giving detailed instructions about what the new program is.  At this point the leader is in complete control of the project.  They are to give information so that the teachers are aware and become familiar with what is being taught.

2.  The next phase is partial leader and partial teacher directed.  This is where the leader starts to clarify some of the questions that the group may have.  They begin working with the product, but still need some direction and guidance.  This is what they call the "Buy in" part of the phase.

3.  Again, the third phase is still partial leader and teacher directed.  Only this time the teachers will take more of the reigns.  The leader now will reward the team for efforts.

4.  Phase four is were the leader steps back and lets the group become the leaders, where they are working very closely with the product and the leader is there strictly to supervise.



When reviewing the resources at your campus, the first thing that the leader needs to accomplish is what resources will be valuable to your campus.  Finding these things out is done through constant communication with your team.  If the leader wants the "buy in" for what ever product is being used then you have to make sure that you collaborate with those on your campus to make sure the products will be used, they are age/grade appropriate, easily accessible, and they will meet the needs of the students and staff.

Blog #2

First off, I will say that this was all very confusing for me.  As I was reading I felt like I was reading in circles, so please be patient with me as I try to work through all of these terms and theories. 

Epistemology is defined as, " the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge and understanding - their foundations assumptions, and validity (Pg. 54).  With that said the theories and models discussed are the Positivist/ Objectivist and the Relativist/Constructivist.   The Positivist theory states that there is an absolute truth.  So basically no matter how the learner looks at it and thinks or believes, there is one truth and the learner is to accept that.  This design is set up so that the teacher is the main focus of the classroom and the learner is to accept what information is given.  On the other hand you have the Relativist approach.  In this design the learner is the center and the teacher is the facilitator.  The teacher will give information and the learner is to take that information and guide their learning to find their own truths. 

The Contextualism approach falls somewhere in the middle of the other designs.  It tells the learner that they are in control of their own knowledge and understanding.  It does relate to the relativist model in that sense, where the teacher is simply a guide to the student.  They are there to help provide information and the learner is to take all of that information and make their own truth.  It is also similar to the positivist model because there is one truth, but it is based on the evidence that surrounds that learner.  So what might be the truth at what point in time might change based on the contexts that surround that same learner at a later time.  As for the behaviorist and constructivist approaches, they apply the same type of thinking as the positivist and relativist approaches.  The behaviorist approach relies on controlling the outcome of the learner.  There is one truth and the learner must believe, the teacher is their to control the classroom and give the information and the student is to take in what information is given and believe fully in what is said.  The constructivist approach in the classroom is where the teacher is giving tools and information to the students, but those students are to take that information and find their own beliefs and truths.

When looking at ways of problems solving the behaviorist approach of problem solving and facilitating that process would simply be to tell them the way to do the problem, show them the steps, and have them answer it.  The other way to solve problems would be the constructivist approach.  They would explain the problem and then the students would be allowed to creatively approach the problem that best works for them.  They would be allowed to use a variety of approaches, tools and resources that helps them address the problem at hand.

I would have to say in looking at these different models I would say that when I was in the classroom I would take more of the constructivist and collectivist approach.  I loved having kids experiment with many different tools and resources to solve problems.  There are so many different ways to come up with one idea and no one way is the best.  It is best to give students a chance to explore their creativity and ideas using team collaboration and a variety of out of the box ideas.

1. How do the definitions in the first chapter compare to your own definition of instructional or educational technology?  What experiences or other influences have shaped your definition? How has your definition changed from examining the definitions in the first chapter of this book?

 

As I read through the text I realized that much of what I thought was probably wrong.  In one section of the text it stated, "when asked to define the term instructional technology, will mention computers, videos, CD-ROMs, overhead and slide projectors..."  I fell into this category.  When I use to define educational technology I tended to state the differernt types of technology that were used instead of talking of the uses or process of technology, like the text stated.  I realize now that even though I knew that IT was using resources, the implementation and the instructional processes related to those resources I now know that I need to add that to my definition, as that is also an integral part of the definition itself.  Some of the experiences that have influced this definition is what I have been doing in the library and some of the lessons that I create using these different resources, whether it is hardware or software products.  I have now started to think about when I create lessons such as research projects and we use different resources, it is not just about using the resources that cause this to be considered IT, but it is how I created the lesson to facilitate the learning for those students, how they would use it, how the students and I would look at what they created and analyze how it could be changed to better suit the objectives that are being taught using those resources that we have discussed.

2. Next, think of a lesson or unit of instruction that you have developed. Or if you haven’t ever taught or developed instruction, think of one that you have received. How does that lesson adhere or fail to adhere to the six characteristics of instructional design? How would you redesign it to better adhere to the six characteristics.

 

One of the lessons that comes to mind is a research project that I had the students work on last year.  They were to find information regarding their topic using a variety of formats, print, online text, databases, etc.  They were then to create a glog to show the information that they had found.  When looking back at this lesson I do feel that I followed the six steps of Instructional design.  The activity was very learner centered because they were in charge of finding their research and presenting their ideas.  This was something that I was overseeing and modeled, but they took the lead on what the information was and how they were going to use that information.  Next I do feel as if it was goal oriented because at the beginning we all discussed what our objectives were and how we were going to meet those objectives.  This was project was meaningful to them because again they were able to take control of the topic and information.  This was something that related somehow to them.  They were able to choose from a variety of topics which I believe gave them a sense of autonomy knowing that this was something that related to them, or something that they were interested in.  Next, we had somewhat of a rubric that we created so they were able to measure what they were doing, if it was correct, and if they had met the goals previously discussed.  This project was definitely self correcting.  There were many steps to the process and it was an ongoing, and ever changing project.  This is where the rubric came into play a lot.  The discussions of how are you meeting your goals and objectives and then the students would be able to go back and reevaluate their project and make changes if necessary.  As far as the last characteristic is concerned, this is where I feel like I may have fallen short.  This was more of an individual project.  The students were to share their glog and have other students participate with the glog whether it was participating in the activities or simply reading the information that was gathered, but it was developed my individual students, not a group.  Next time I would try to have a group work on the project to apply different ideas from a variety of people.  It would have probably made the projects better to get a variety of ideas from people because usually when you have several people working on something they tend to bring new ways and ideas of doing something which makes the end result better.

3. In the 3^rd chapter, Reiser distinguishes instructional media from instructional design, excluding teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from the definition of instructional media. Why? Would you consider teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks instructional media? Is the purpose of instructional design to incorporate media into instruction?

 

I would consider teachers, chalkboards and textbooks as instructional media.  I say this because to me instructional media is any type of resource that provide information and learning to a student.  So in this case all of these things do provide a wealth of information, and help in presenting that information to the students. It sates in the text, " Professionals in the field of instructional design and technology often use systematic instructional design parocedures and employ instructional media to accomplish their goals. "  With that said, yes the purpose of instructional design is to incorporate media into instruction.  In order to follow the goals of instructional design you have to implement the use of instructional media to improve the learning of students.

Hello Everyone,

I am actually like a couple of my other classmates and I am still waiting on my textbook to arrive as well.  Hopefully I should be receiving it in the next couple of days, so I will be posting about Chapter 1 then.  Stay tuned.

Welcome

Hello everyone!!!  I hope all is well with everyone in ETEC 561.  This is the blog that I have created for our class.  I hope everyone enjoys reading when we get started.  Good Luck!