Blog 7: ASSURE, ASSURE, ASSURE

Have any of you heard of the ASSURE model? Developed by Heinich, Molenda, Russel, and Smaldino in the late 90s, the ASSURE model is consdiered a provedural guide for planning as well as delivering instruction that integrates technologies and media into the teaching process. The ASSURE model breaks down into the following categories: Analyze the Learner, State Objectives, Select methods, media, and materials, Utilize said media, methods, and materials, Require Learner Participation, and Evaluate and Revise. I think one of the most important elements of ASSURE is the Evaluation step. Many times, we as educators rely on traditional methods and proven methods as the backbone of our teaching styles. As time goes on, these methods are proving to be useless when trying to deal with a new crop of students. We need to evaluate our methods and even though we may find particular fondness with a method that has worked in the past, it can always use a fine tuning every now and then.

Wikispaces are becoming a very interesting phenomenon. You would think that their purpose would only be to create phony information. But actually, there is some (gasp!) legitimacy behind wikispaces. It's a fully commercial site, yes, but it is also heavily monitored by censors. This allows information to be accurate and not be filled with innacuracy. Kudos to technology for finding its way to the "wikis" and revitalizing their accuracy.

Did you go to theultimatesteal.com??? Well, hate to tell you, but come April 29th, you may have to pay 300 dollars again to get Office Suite 2007. It's a great package which includes Word 2007, Powerpoint 2007, and even Excel 2007. If you need to practice for EME 2040, this is your tool. I absolutely love it, and I can't think of any other great deal out on the current market.