Introduction

Individual and organizational development necessitates behavioral and organizational change, and change requires learning.

The last three decades have seen extraordinary advances in computer driven information and technology, better known as the Information Technology Revolution.  Constant advances in production, accessibility and efficiency of computer technology characterize this revolution. Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors that can be placed on a piece of silicon doubles every 18 months.  This theory, known as Mooreís law, is remarkably consistent. This steady improvement in computing power has been largely responsible for the convergence of computers with high-speed communications links and hence, has lead to changes in societyís use and production of information and information technology.  In fact this productivity makes computing equipment more cost-effective by 100% every 18-24 months as well. The Information Technology Revolution, which has enabled continuous learning via increased speed, accuracy and availability of information, has focused on the need for better learning skills.  Now more than ever there is a greater need for skills in learning how to learn with technology.

For almost any field that relies on data and information, the information technology revolution has changed the basic nature of how business is done.  In almost any environment basic information management skills require using, and at some level understanding, computing equipment.  Indeed it is difficult to conceive of any modern arena where technology does not play a part in delivering information.  The changes being fostered by this revolution are equally as profound as those created by Mr. Guttenbergís press.

 Therefore we at the Payson Center are recommending the following set of minimal standards of skills and competencies for all service delivery personnel who seek change within themselves, and their organizations.  These criteria have evolved from two sets of standards, which were developed by the National Federation of Teachers and the International Society for Technology in Education.  They are intended to be a minimum set of standards for practitioners and educators in the application and use of information technology.  The skills and competencies are partitioned into two parts. Part one consists of the minimum standards which all learners should master, and part two consists of supplemental standards. At the end the learner will emerge with a full set of  tools to execute all of the needed tasks for personal and organizational productivity and a minimal set of skills in order to undertake them.

The course, ìLearning How to Learn with Technologyî aims to equip individuals with the necessary tools for analyzing and solving problems and on-demand and on-time learning. These information technology tools are built upon the science of instructional design, developmental and social psychology, and artificial intelligence. 

According to Dr. David Merrill instructional design is : 1) a methodology for the development of learning experiences and environments which promote the acquisition of specific knowledge and skill by students and 2) a technology which incorporates known and verified learning strategies into instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing through information technology.

This goal of this course is to provide learners with the theoretical, experiential, and critical components of the instructional design process and the skills to implement the appropriate learning assisted technology. The learner should be able at the end of this process to create with assistance a prototype technology driven learning module and explain the practical and theoretical basis for its development.