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| My kiddos |
Hi everyone! I'm Amber. I actually live in Bloomington, IN, but I am working on my IST Certificate via distance learning because I am a working mother of 2 (twin 5 year old boys). It's much easier to go "back to school" in the comfort of my home office while my kiddos are sleeping in the nest room than to attend classes in the flesh.
I currently work full time at IU as an academic specialist developing language materials and curriculums. My specialty is language learning technology.
This past summer I took R511, and it was my second online course, but my first course since 2005 when I completed my graduate work at IU. It is fun and frightening to be taking classes again. It went well enough that I decided to try again in the Fall, taking R521 with Dr. Glazewski.
I decided that I wanted to pursue a certificate in IST for two reasons: #1 - to improve my productivity and effectiveness in my current position. And #2 - to broaden my qualifications from the world of language learning technology to more generally instructional technology and design so that I will be more competitive in the job market.
The main reason I'm interested in IST is because I am a "let's not mess around...do it right the first time and then let's all go home" type person. When I'm at work, that is time away from my family. I want all time not being spent with my family to be effective and efficient, because I want to feel like I'm away from them for a purpose. I cannot stand disorganization and inefficiency in the workplace. It's a waste of the company's money, but I also feel like it's a waste of my time.
I like IST/ISD because it is a systematic attack that finds what isn't working, proposes solutions, and applies them! Then, perhaps my favorite part: EVALUATES whether or not the changes are actually making improvements! This part is so important and so often neglected (at least in academia)!
I feel like I have a good basis of what IST/ISD does, but I'm looking for further education and training, and of course, accreditation via a certificate.
Greetings Amber! Welcome to R541. The mother of twin boys! VERY impressive. I have one little guy and I have enough trouble trying to manage him. I believe in making things as efficient and effective as possible. Instructional Designers often use a model called Rapid Prototyping to design instruction. Sometimes it can be messy. I wonder what you think of it?
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Hi, Amber! Sounds like you have your hands full. I "cursed" my 6 year old son to have 3 boys when he grows up as my "revenge" for the unending supply of energy they exude. If only we could bottle it!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your reasons for pursuing the IST certificate. For the same basic reasons I am in the Masters program - to obtain credentials for what i already do, but also to learn the systems because my knowledge from experience is almost entirely organic.
Hi Amber,
ReplyDeletewe are hoosier buddies! (what's a hoosier anyway?)
This week coincided with the start of the semester here at work and I have been a little overwhelmed with work stuff, so I apologize for the late post. After this week things should get normalized and I'll post in a timely manner (I promise).
Good luck in the class!
ricardo
Anne, in response to your question on Rapid Prototyping. I am somewhat familiar with it. Honestly, I'd say most of my ISD experience has been using this model, because of the lack of time and budget available. I'm a very moderate ISD-er...meaning I can see the value in traditional design (PADDIE/ADDIE) and can also see the value in Rapid Prototyping, and I personally think that each situation should be evaluated and the best method for that situation should be used. :) I think if I worked for a bigger firm with more resources, my answer might be different. ;)
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