This morning I shot video and still footage for the instructional unit. My son came down from ORange County to be the “actor”, and my tennis coach came to assist in feeding the tennis balls and assist me with the shooting.

In order to make our time more productive, I create a separate photo and video requirements sheet from the graphics descriptions from the storyboard. From those descriptions, I isolated three video clips and eight unique shots.

I thought the shoot went very well, and although I have not yet taken a look on my computer at the photos and clips, I am positive that I have many good clips and stills from which to select for the lesson.

Well, I finally completed the storyboard for the Individualized Instruction unit. The assignment is located here: http://members.cox.net/gdeocampo/edtec671/0671-Storyboard.pdf.

Museum: San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Location: Balboa Park, San Diego, California
Date: March 29, 2008

Reason for visiting:
I chose the Model Railroad Museum because of my recent trip to Switzerland. While visiting my sister-in-law’s family there, I learned that my nephew enjoys model trains very much. Additionally, I wanted to pick a museum where photography is allowed. I don’t have a strong interest in trains or model trains, but I went with a good attitude, open to learn something.

The Tehachapi Pass Exhibit

Engaging Characteristics:
What caught my eye about the exhibit was the large display. It’s the largest exhibit in the museum. The exhibit has both intricate macro and micro details, like the large, tall mountains in the background against a blue sky and the detailed miniature desert town in the foreground of the display.

And of course, it’s kind of breathtaking to watch the little model train go through the mountain pass.

Learning Expectations:
It’s fairly unclear what you’re expected to learn at this exhibit. From first glance, the exhibit is so large that it’s easy to miss the pictorial display in the hallway leading up to the exhibit that describes the history of the Tehachapi Pass. Even more difficult to notice is the two-sided, one-page handout about the exhibit also in the hallway. There’s really very little at the front of the exhibit that gives direction to a learner. I found this exhibit truly “very informal”. Especially as a novice to trains and model trains, I really did not know what to look for or what to expect when I looked at the exhibit. There is no direction given to museum visitors because the museum is based upon the premise of self-guided tours. Thus, at this exhibit, there was very little offered to the viewers. The location of the supplemental learning materials (i.e. the pictures and handout) is situated away from the exhibit. Truly, viewers must construct their own learning at this exhibit.

Observations about other visitors at the exhibit—

Attraction:
You might surmise that most of the museum’s visitors are little children, especially young boys. Probably what draw these young visitors to the exhibit is the brightness and largeness of the exhibit. The exhibit dominates the space in which it is contained. Also, there are many trains moving around in the exhibit, which catches the eyes of the young kids.

Conversation:
Most of the talk around the exhibit is about kids exclaiming: “Look at the train!” The adults, however, can be overheard commenting on the detail of the surrounding scenery in the exhibit. I heard one mother ask her kids if they remembered the Spanish word she had taught them that same morning, which happened to be the name of the railroad or train shown in the exhibit’s foreground.

Learning:
In my opinion, I don’t think the visitors are learning too much from the exhibit. They certainly are “learning” how to appreciate trains and the beauty of model trains. But I doubt whether or not they are learning about the history of that region called the Tehachapi Pass, nor are they learning any technical details about the model trains used or how the exhibit was built.

In my opinion the only two ways at the museum to learn about the history or the technical details would be to read the exhibit handout or ask a docent. During my time there, I did not observe a single visitor with an exhibit handout, nor anybody talking with a docent.

This assignment is located at the following URL: http://members.cox.net/gdeocampo/edtec671/Practice-and-Test-Items-edtec671-individualinstruct.htm.

I wrote three practice items for each of the four enabling learning objectives, and three test items for the overall terminal objective.

 

In the course of my work as part of an instructional design team the last three years, I have worked with designing instructional modules comprised of Reusable Learning Objects. Our customer, the US Navy, can use the RLOs to their advantage because other commands in the Navy can adapt the RLOs to create new courses based on lessons that are modified RLOs.  For example, the most recent course that we delivered deals with communications between surface ships.  The submariners had heard how good the course is, so they would like to adapt the current surface ship course for communications between submarines.  That’s the beauty of RLOs; they can be easily adapted to other repurposeable topics.

 

As for an LCMS, we do not author our courseware within an LCMS; however, I have had experience reviewers other developers’ work that has been authored within an LCMS environment.  One in particular, called Outstart Evolution, has been very problemmatic for the Navy.  The lessons produced from this LCMS are not s customizable for the Navy’s needs as when lessons are totally programmed outside of the LCMS (like the ones our company produces).

 

After having just listened to the webcast archive for Writing for Reuse, I also wanted to say that when we wrote lessons on our first project, we definitely had to keep in mind the lesson text reusability.  We avoided writing statements that were audience specific.  For example, our main audience was for the Navy Information Systems Technician.  But when we wrote statements that could be applied across the Navy, we used the phrase, “As a Sailor working in communications….”, which is slightly less context specific than “As an IT working . . .”  This made the content more reusable across different job ratings in the Navy rather than just isolated to the IT. 

 

How to Determine Where a Tennis Ball Will Go

When Hit by a One-handed Topspin Backhand

 

Main objective:

When given graphic media of the follow-through motion of a tennis player’s one-handed topspin backhand, the learner will be able to determine the direction of a ball that is hit by a tennis player’s one-handed topspin backhand. (Apply principle)

 

Sub-tasks:

 

•  When given graphic media of a tennis player hitting three types of one-handed backhands, the learner will be able to remember the direction of motion of the follow-through of a topspin backhand.  (Remember fact)
•  When given graphic media of the follow-through motion of a tennis player’s one-handed backhand, the learner will be able to identify whether a backhand shot is hit with topspin.  (Apply concept)
•  When given a list of actions made by a tennis player hitting a one-handed backhand, the learner will be able to recall how to exert control over the width of the target area that a tennis ball lands after it is hit by a one-handed topspin backhand.  (Remember concept)
•  When given a list of actions made by a tennis player hitting a one-handed backhand, the learner will be able to recall how to change the direction of a tennis ball when it is hit by a one-handed topspin backhand.  (Remember concept)

After receiving that wise feedback from the instructor, I kept it in mind to think about limiting the scope of my project.  When I began thinking about possible outcome statements, I realized that each of the three components for hitting a one-handed topspin backhand contained enough content to be their own individual lessons.   So I decided to limit the lesson to the third component of hitting a one-handed topspin backhand, the follow-through.  Because of the newly limited scope, the focus, or main goal, of this lesson needed to change.

 

How to Hit A One-handed Topspin Backhand

 

Goal: The learner will be able to list the three components to hitting a one-handed topspin backhand

Component Outline

·       Component 1: Preparation

o   Footwork:  A tennis player needs to have good footwork.

§  Anticipation and footspeed helps a player get to the ball early.

§  The player’s foot that matches the hand holding the racquet should be in front of (or lead) the opposite foot.

o   Grip: A tennis player needs to use a comfortable backhand grip that naturally aligns the ball to the target when the racquet strikes the ball.

§  Although there are two main backhand grips, the easiest and most natural way to hold a racquet to hit a backhand is the Eastern grip.

§  The player should change to the Eastern grip as soon as it is determined that the ball is going to the backhand side.

o   Backswing: A tennis player needs to rotate the shoulder so that the player’s back faces the ball, and the motion of the shoulder turn matches the flight path of the ball.

§  The player should turn the shoulder of the racquet arm as the ball approaches.

§  The player should bring the shoulder and racquet arm down while bending knees to match the downward portion of the ball’s flight path.

·       Component 2: Contact Point

o   Racquet head:  A tennis player should hold the racquet in suych a way that the bevel of the racquet should be flat and perpendicular to the ground.

o   Contact:  A tennis player should hit the ball should be slightly in front of the leading knee.

o   Squeeze: A tennis player should squeeze the racquet hand as you the ball is hit.

·       Component 3: Follow-through

o   Target: A tennis player’s racquet hand follows the ball to the intended target in a low-to-high trajectory.

o   Angle: A tennis player’s racquet should move at a sharp angle upward, as if climbing a ladder.

o   Balance: A tennis player’s opposite, or non-racquet, hand moves in the opposite direction to counteract the racquet hand motion.

§  For balance to prevent the upper body from turning too far as the ball is hit.

Topspin Backhand

·      Preparation

o   Footwork

§  Get to the ball early!

§  Foot that matches the racquet hand in front of the opposite foot (leads the other foot)

o   Grip

§  Change to Eastern grip as soon as it is determined that the ball is going to the backhand

o   Backswing

§  Turn shoulder as the ball approaches

§  Bring shoulder and racquet arm down while bending knees to match the downward portion of the ball’s flight path

·      Contact Point

o   Racquet head flat – perpendicular to the ground

o   Contact with the ball should be slightly in front of knee

o   Squeeze the racquet hand as you contact the ball

·      Follw-through

o   Hand follows the ball to the intended target (Low-to-high trajectory )

o   Sharp angle upward (climb the ladder)

o   Opposite hand (non-racquet) hand moves in the opposite direction slightly to counteract the racquet hand motion

§  For balance to prevent the upper body from turning too far as the ball is hit

So after some encouragement, I decided to go for at least an Incomplete this semester and complete the first project.  So I’m excited about my new topic.  I think it’s workable.  It is:  ”How to Hit a Topspin One-handed Backhand”.  Below are my initial notes:

 

Topspin Backhand

 

·      Preparation

o   Footwork

§  Get to the ball early!

§  Foot that matches the racquet hand in front of the opposite foot (leads the other foot)

§  Bend knees – to follow the flight path of the ball as it lands (down, then up)

o   Grip

§  Change grip as soon as it is determined that the ball is going to the backhand

§  Eastern grip – knuckle on first bevel of the grip behind the racquet face

o   Backswing

·      Contact Point

o   Racquet head flat – perpendicular to the ground

o   Slightly in front of knee

·      Follw-through

o   Low-to-high

o   Sharp angle upward (climb the ladder)