Jennifer posted on Group 1 (March Monthly Summary), Group 2 (March Monthly Summary & Important Adult Education Organizations), Group 4 (Important Adult Education Organizations). Stephanie posted on summary comments: Groups 1, 3, and 4. Adult Organizations: Groups 1, 3, and 4.
Important Adult Education Organizations
Stephanie Moran, Tonda Martin, Jennifer Hindman
Ball State University
EDAC 631
March 23, 2013
Unique
Adult Education Organizations
Each
of us has been exposed to adult education organizations. Jennifer
has been involved with the National Association of Emergency and Medical
Services Educators, American Association for Adult and Continuing Education,
and The National Center for Community Education. Tonda
has participated in The Association of United Church Educators,
The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, The United Church of Christ
(Leadership Office), Spiritual Directors International, National Hospice and
Palliative Care Association, and Gestalt Pastoral Care. Stephanie has spent time engaging with The
National School Boards Association, Federation of Teachers Association,
Education Foundation Association, American Medical Association, American Grant
Writers Association, and National Aerobic and Fitness Instructors Association. Each of these organizations has had impact
educating and resourcing members in perspectives of operation, methods, and
ideology. While some have been of
benefit professionally, others have been of benefit personally. All agree that learners benefit from both
formal and traditional types of educational organizations and professional
association as well as less traditional and formal organizations and
associations. For this report, we
included one of each category.
The
Association for Educational Communications and Technology
The Association for Educational
Communications and Technology (ACET) is an organization that includes thousands
of educators that are focused on improving instruction through the use of
technology. ACET members are found in
various educational facets including colleges and universities as well as the
military. The members of ACET are
involved in various tasks such as planning, studying, developing and producing
communications media for instruction.
ACET happens to be the oldest organization of its kind having both a
national and international presence. Founded
in 1923, the organization has evolved just as technology has. The ACET mission is “helping people learn
more efficiently and effectively through the use of the best technologies
available at the time.” (Association for Educational Communications and
Technology, 2013)
The organization originated out of
the desire of a small group of passionate educators to make the learning
experience for students better. The
organization is directed by a Board of Directors that is well-diversified and
come from all over the country. Board
members also represent a variety of colleges and universities.
ACET publishes two print journals; Educational Technology, Research and
Development and TechTrends. Also, published are two online journals; International Journal of Designs for
Learning and Journal of Applied
Instructional Design. These journals
provide the latest research and development in the technology and education
field. The journals are pay-for-subscription
and offered at a discounted rate to members.
There are ten divisions within the
organization that support technology in education in different ways. The divisions allow focus on development for
each of the respective areas. Members of
ACET are encouraged to join a division of their interest. One of the board members oversees the
functions of their respective divisions.
Currently, the divisions are:
1. Design
& Development
2. Distance
Learning
3. Graduate
Student Assembly
4. International
5. Multimedia
Production
6. Research
& Theory
7. School
Media & Technology
8. Systemic
Change
9. Teacher
Education
10. Training
& Performance
ACET now has developed affiliations with
24 state and six international organizations that also are related to adult education. All of these affiliations join ACET in
maintaining and promoting the highest level of standards in development and
professionalism.
The main roles and responsibilities of
ACET include; promotion and improvement of the use of technology in education. Through the affiliations with state and
international adult education agencies, the relationship of professionalism and
instruction through technology in practice.
ACET has impacted the field of education
through their robust and extensive history.
ACET originated as discussed earlier in 1923 by a small group of
educators. This group of educators had a
vision, a passion to make education better through the use of new media. Originally in the 20s, instructors of adults
wanted to further the education experience through the use of motion pictures
and slides. (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2013) Later, in the 1930s the activity of
incorporating new media into instruction gained momentum as it spread to higher
education organizations. Then, during
the post WWII era, there was an influx of technology specialists that were
returning from the war at the same time that there was an increase in colleges
and universities. During 1958-1970, the
federal government encouraged the improvement of teaching math, science, and
foreign languages, which led to the use of new media via television in the
classroom. From 1971-1982 there was a
shift in ACET from audiovisual orientation to a systems approach and a new
definition statement characterized “educational technology as a systematic
problem-solving process.” (Association for Educational Communications and
Technology, 2013) Later in the 1980s & 1990s the
organization moved its headquarters and central office to Bloomington, Indiana
while continuing to evolve in their focus and changing towards a center on
instructional design. ACET adapted by
developing relationships with instructional designers and computing specialists. At the end of the ACET organization had
evolved into one of several divisions with multiple board members and unique
affiliations with external adult education agencies. The impact of ACET is one that has continued
to grow in the field of instructional design through the use of technology over
the course of 90 years. Rather than
becoming stagnant, the organization embraced change and continued to meet the
ever demanding needs of students and adult education organizations.
We have discovered that the AECT prioritized
development of media in education through use of detailed divisions within the
organization. AECT developed standards
for use of technology in the classroom.
These standards are used worldwide and have brought innovation into the
classroom and brought educational possibilities to those out of the
classroom. AECT has impacted educational
entities through developed relationships, published works, and conferences. Its oversight has advocated through standards
and development that the most proficient media and technology is available for
educational purposes.
The
Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education
The
ACMHE is an organization that understands adult education as an opportunity “to
cultivate deep personal and social awareness; an exploration of meaning,
purposes and values in service to our common human future.” (The Center for Contemplative Mind and Higher
Education, 2013) They are a multidisciplinary, non-profit,
professional academic association, consisting of educators, scholars, and
administrators in higher education.
The ACMHE’S mission develops directly
out the history of adult education. The roots of higher education in the West
can be traced back to the cathedral schools and monasteries of the 12th
century. Likewise, in Asia, education was inseparable from religious and
spiritual life. With the Enlightenment, education made a crucial and proper
shift towards the secular. They perceive the current challenge of adult
education to be; creating a form of education that is at once true to the best
ideals of the Enlightenment, which valued reason, experience, and human rights,
and at the same time reconnecting to the ethical and spiritual foundations that
support our values and deepest understandings. Their work supports an
ethics and spirituality that is not rooted in an ideology or creed but which is
available equally to all. “We seek to
recast the traditional foundations for education into a truly integrative,
transformative, and communal enterprise that cultivates the whole person in the
fullest way possible.” (The Center for Contemplative Mind and Higher
Education, 2013)The
reason they advocate for contemplative practice in higher education is to
encourage new forms of inquiry and imaginative thinking; and to educate active
citizens who will support a more just and compassionate direction for society. “The ACMHE supports members (educators,
scholars, administrators and students) in the development of contemplative
pedagogy, research methodology, epistemology and organizational designs by
creating forums for the exchange of diverse perspectives on contemplative
practice in higher education.” (The Center for Contemplative Mind
and Higher Education, 2013)
The ACMHE does this by connecting a
network of leading institutions and academics committed to the recovery and
development of the contemplative dimension of teaching, learning and knowing
and also through its vision. According to Arthur
Zajonc, Founding Committee Chair and Former Director of the Center for
Contemplative Mind in Society:
“The
view on which contemporary higher education is constructed is too limited.
Its impoverished and largely reductive understanding of the world
inevitably leads to partial solutions to the problems we face in such areas as
education, health care, agriculture and economics. We need an education
that embraces and develops an enlarged view, one that has room in it for the
exploration of meaning, purpose and values and how to serve our common human
future. Likewise, the very methods of
scholarship and research are limited. For all their power, the
conventional methods of scientific research and critical scholarship need to be
broadened. The reflective, contemplative and experiential methods
developed within the contemplative traditions offer a complimentary set of
research methods for exploring the mind and the world. When taken
together with conventional methods, an enriched research methodology and
pedagogy are available for opening up new pathways for deepening and enlarging
perspectives which can lead to real and lasting solutions to the problems we
confront.” (The Center for Contemplative Mind
and Higher Education, 2013)
The Association for Contemplative Mind
in Higher Education developed out of an initiative of its parent organization, The
Association for Contemplative Mind, following ten years of administering
fellowships and developing a community of contemplative educators, scholars,
and administrators, a distinct field of study and practice had emerged.
The ACHME declares the story behind
their formation began in 1996 when the Center was looking for opportunities to
explore the central question: “Could contemplative practices change the way we
think and act so that we move toward a more just, compassionate and reflective
society?” (The Center for Contemplative Mind and Higher
Education, 2013)
In July 2007 the Academic Program
Committee formed the Association Steering Committee. In September 2007 the
Board endorsed a refined Association proposal including a mission statement,
membership qualifications, and a mandate for the Steering Committee. The
Program launched the Association in May 2008.
The role of the ACHME in adult education
is the recovery and development of the contemplative dimension of teaching,
learning and knowing. The ACMHE carries
out this responsibility connecting a network of leading institutions and
academics by:
- Stimulating
scholarship
and research concerning contemplative pedagogy,
methodology and epistemology within and across disciplines;
- Sponsoring
forums for the presentation of research and exchange of ideas through
webinars, regional and national meetings and an annual conference;
- Supporting
the development of courses and curricula through one-week residential summer
sessions;
- Supporting
the deepening of contemplative teaching through retreats for academics
offering a variety of traditional and secular practices;
- Distributing
scholarly work and general information relating to the field of
contemplative education online, including a quarterly
e-newsletter;
- Providing online resources for
members to participate in discussion forums and share profiles,
publications, papers, and syllabi.
Conclusion
Both of these organizations are long standing in
their respective fields and both provide a multidisciplinary approach that
involves educators from higher education organizations. Through this research, we have affirmation
that adult education organizations can make an impact on learners through
affecting change and working with other agencies to ensure the change is
carried through to the educational institution where the teaching occurs.
References
Association for Educational Communications and
Technology. (2013). Retrieved March
13, 2013, from
ACET:
http://aect.site-ym.com/?page=aect_in_the_20th_cen
The Center for Contemplative Mind and Higher
Education. (2013). Retrieved March
13, 2013, from CCMHE: http://www.contemplativemind.org/programs/acmhe
Table 1. Summary
of Adult Education Organizations
|
ACET
|
ACHME
|
Year
Founded:
|
1923
|
May
1, 2008
|
Mission
and Goals:
|
The
ACET mission is “helping people learn more efficiently and effectively
through the use of the best technologies available at the time.”
|
Advocate
for contemplative practice in higher education, encourage new forms of
inquiry and imaginative thinking, and to educate citizens who will support a
compassionate society.
|
Roles
and Responsibilities:
|
To
improve the use of technology in education by supporting the profession
through its ten divisions, 24 state and six international affiliates.
|
Administer
fellowships and develop a community of
educators, scholars, and administrators in effort to create a distinct
field contemplative inquiry and
thinking within higher education.
|
Other
Important Information:
|
Oldest
organization in its respective field.
Publishes two print journals and two online journals
|
Includes
over 150 fellows in 100 colleges and universities throughout the
country. Developed out of the Center
for Contemplative Mind in Society which was founded in 1996.
|
Impact:
|
An
old and developed organization of over 90 years that focuses on changing
their focus to stay on top of the communication and technology needs of
education.
|
Brought
the culture of contemplation into the network of leading institutions and
academics. Stimulated research
concerning contemplative pedagogy methodology and epistemology.
|
Implications:
|
Able to
demonstrate flexibility in evolving to meet the needs of education
organizations through different time periods.
|
There
are ways to integrate the practice of contemplation into the academics of
higher education which have profound impact on the learner. This can be done via retreats, forums,
webinars
and curricula.
|
Tonda
completed the research and writing for the ACHME program. Jennifer completed the research and writing
for the ACET program, posted to assignment section on Bb and to blog. Stephanie completed the PPT presentation,
pulled the paper all together and did initial proofing. All reviewed final product.
