Instructional+Design+Problem+3+-eTRAIN


 * 1. What is the need for this instruction? (i.e., gap in current instruction). || Because the e-TRAIN website is used by in-service or pre-service teachers and students, there is a need for an orientation for new users of the eTRAIN website.The objective is to allow users to effectively and efficiently use the eTRAIN website to help them find valuable information. Helping the teachers and students manipulate the e-TRAIN website will provide a more enjoyable and interactive experience for those who visit the site. ||
 * 2. Who is the target audience (potential audiences)? || The target audience are in-service, pre-service, and student teachers who have authorization to the e-TRAIN website ||
 * 3. What is the anticipated size/scope of the project - a single lesson/activity, multiple lesson/activities, a longer instructional unit? || Multiple longer activities or longer instructional units. ||
 * 3. Are there known delivery constraints? Indicate the must haves such as video, tutorials, additional web sites, text etc. Additional items will be selected by Subject Matter Expert (SME) and negotiated with the project members || We are thinking about incorporating video, pdf and possibly powerpoint presentation in order to help the learners navigate. However, we re open to using any other media technologies that would enhance the site. ||
 * 5. Assuming this instructional project is completed by the final project date, will all members of the target audience be available, so that the team can condut a formative evaluation? || All members will be available, so the team can deliver a formative evaluation. Since our members are located in different areas of Ohio, the team will be delivering possibly in an Elluminate meeting session. ||
 * **Why our team is best to solve this problem:** || The strength of our group is the diversity of our skills, experiences, and perspective. Users of this tool will benefit from the wide angle view we will employ in addressing issues of accessibility and user-friendliness. Additionally, we work well together and our experiences mesh well, with each of us learning from the others. Our team will work hard to create an effective and engaging orientation for the website. Teachers need support to able to effectively access information that has already been delivered as a recall site. Although not all of us have previously been included in an in-service or a pre-service training, this will be a great opportunity to design something that could be useful in the future for all teachers. Having a chance to work on this project would be a great challenge for our group representing many talented backgrounds. We have a strong diverse team that has innovative ideas and collectively we have the potential to solve any problem we’re presented with. ||
 * **Why we choose this problem:** || Having utilized some of the resources on eTRAIN in teaching experiences, and recognizing the difficulty in locating effective tools, we recognize the value of familiarizing educators with the operation of this database. Teachers, both preservice and inservice, need a support system and continual training. The eTRAIN website is very thorough in providing extensive, research-based strategies and resources for creating a successful learning atmosphere. Providing training for use of the website will add to the success and effectiveness of the site. We are not all educators but all have experience in the online learning environment. We think it would be fun and exciting designing for a virtual community. Our team has a very strong interest in the Orientation Session for e-Train as it would be a great teaching experience. Helping new members understand how to use eTRAIN would help us better understand how to create and navigate online databases. During our formative experiences, an online orientation session would have been a valuable learning tool to help new as well as in-service teachers to strive to reach their goal of excellent teaching. ||