Taking A Closer Look and The Nine

Last night the cohort met in F-111 at The Richard Stockton College
of New Jersey to "Take a Closer Look" at what the end might be. The showcase of final projects included impressive presentations by Mary Irwin - "CSI Boot Camp," Jennifer Babcock's "Integrating Technology with Administrative Tasks," Catherine Moore's "Professional Development for 21st Century Technology Skills,"Eileen Anaya's "Vocabulary Development Using Interactive Web-Based Tools," and Peter Dolcy's "Videogames as Motivational Tools in the General Classroom."

We were warmly welcomed with catered wraps, sandwiches, and finger foods and a rich redskin potato salad. We applauded all the presenters for their hard work made to look easy and cheered for the Capstone Advisor, Amy Ackerman when the achievement of her tenure was announced.

On the ride home we talked about the projects we had seen, our own prospective projects, and the group work we're involved in now.

I'm making my way slowly and appreciate when people point me in the right direction. So I'm taking a close look at "The Nine" by Robert Gagne. What a privilege we enjoy as students of Gagne's protege. So I discover according to eLearning Guru that "Robert Gagne is considered to be the foremost researcher and contributor to the systematic approach to instructional design and training. Gagne and his followers are known as behaviorists and their focus is on the outcomes - or behaviors -that result from training." The Conditions of Learning first published in 1965 identified the mental conditions for learning. Gagne created a nine step process that addresses the conditions of learning. The steps are called the Nine Events of Instruction: from "Gain Attention" to "Enhance retention and transfer to job"

I'm still reading but now it's 9 and I've got to wind this post up!